119-hr3591

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3591 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3591

 To establish a grant program for certain State and local forensic 
 activities, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 23, 2025

 Mr. Hunt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To establish a grant program for certain State and local forensic 
 activities, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Carla Walker Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO IMPROVE FORENSIC ACTIVITIES.

 Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 
(34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

 ``PART PP--GRANTS TO IMPROVE FORENSIC ACTIVITIES

``

SEC. 3061. DEFINITIONS.

 ``In this part:
 ``

    (1) Forensic analysis.--The term `forensic analysis' 
 means an expert examination or test--
 ``
        (A) required by a law enforcement agency, a 
 prosecutor, a criminal suspect or defendant, or a 
 relevant court; and
 ``
        (B) performed on physical evidence, including DNA 
 evidence, for the purpose of determining the connection 
 of the evidence to a criminal act.
 ``

    (2) Forensic laboratory.--The term `forensic laboratory' 
 means a facility, entity, or site accredited or pursuing 
 accreditation as described in 

section 3062
            (d) (1)
            (C) 
            (iii) that--
 ``
        (A) offers or performs forensic analysis; and
 ``
        (B) follows relevant chain of custody 
 requirements for authentication by an appropriate 
 court.

``

SEC. 3062. DNA ANALYSIS GRANTS.

 ``

    (a) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means--
 ``

    (1) a State;
 ``

    (2) a Tribal or local law enforcement agency;
 ``

    (3) a prosecutor's office with a forensic laboratory 
 capability;
 ``

    (4) a medical examiner's office; and
 ``

    (5) a coroner's office.
 ``

    (b) Authorization of Grants.--The Attorney General may award a 
competitive grant to an eligible entity for the purpose of using any 
technology used in a forensic laboratory--
 ``

    (1) in order to conduct whole genome sequencing 
 technology to assess at least 100,000 genetic markers; and
 ``

    (2) that is compatible with multiple genealogical 
 databases permitted to be used by law enforcement agencies 
 under this part to generate investigative leads for criminal 
 investigations or unidentified human remains.
 ``
            (c) Applications.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such 
time and in such form as the Attorney General may require.
 ``
            (d) Use of Grant.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
 under this section shall use amounts from the grant for any of 
 the following activities:
 ``
        (A) To carry out DNA analyses of samples 
 collected under applicable legal authority using the 
 technology described in subsection

    (b) if the 
 submission of such samples to the Combined DNA Index 
 System has failed to produce investigative leads.
 ``
        (B) To carry out DNA analyses of unidentified 
 human remains reasonably believed by investigators to 
 be the remains of a suspected homicide victim using the 
 technology described in subsection

    (b) if submission of 
 such samples to the Combined DNA Index System has 
 failed to provide an identity.
 ``
            (C) To outsource an activity described in 
 subparagraph
        (A) or
        (B) for the use of technology 
 described in subsection

    (b) and searching to--
 ``
            (i) an accredited publicly funded 
 forensic laboratory;
 ``
            (ii) an accredited nongovernmental 
 forensic laboratory; or
 ``
            (iii) a nongovernmental forensic 
 laboratory that attests to the Attorney 
 General, in a manner that is legally binding 
 and enforceable, that the nongovernmental 
 forensic laboratory will prepare and apply for 
 such accreditation not later than 2 years after 
 the date on which the nongovernmental 
 laboratory first receives a request for 
 analysis from an eligible entity receiving a 
 grant under this section.
 ``

    (2) DOJ 

=== policy ===
-An activity carried out using amounts 
 from a grant under this section shall be carried out consistent 
 with the policy of the Department of Justice entitled `Interim 
 Policy on Forensic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Searching' and 
 dated November 1, 2019, or any successor policy, including with 
 respect to communication between custodial Combined DNA Index 
 System laboratories and vendor laboratories.
 ``

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
 to the Attorney General to carry out this section $5,000,000 
 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
 ``

    (2) Limitations on use.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--Amounts appropriated to carry 
 out this section--
 ``
            (i) subject to subparagraph
        (B) , shall 
 only be made available to carry out forensic 
 genetic genealogical analysis; and
 ``
            (ii) shall not be made available for 
 staffing, training, travel, and equipment.
 ``
        (B) Administrative costs.--The Attorney General 
 may use not more than 10 percent of amounts 
 appropriated to carry out this section for 
 administrative costs.

``

SEC. 3063. GRANTS TO PURCHASE FORENSIC EQUIPMENT ENABLED FOR FORENSIC 
 GENETIC GENEALOGY DNA ANALYSIS AND SEARCHING.

 ``

    (a) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means--
 ``

    (1) a publicly funded and accredited forensic laboratory;
 ``

    (2) a medical examiner's office; and
 ``

    (3) a coroner's office.
 ``

    (b) Authorization of Grants.--The Attorney General may award a 
grant to an eligible entity for the purpose of purchasing equipment to 
deploy forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and searching to 
generate investigative leads for criminal investigations or 
unidentified human remains.
 ``
            (c) Applications.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such 
time and in such form as the Attorney General may require.
 ``
            (d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
this section shall use amounts from the grant to purchase forensic 
equipment, including supplies, reagents, consumables, and validation 
expenses, to deploy forensic genetic genealogy techniques, as defined 
in the Interim Policy on Forensic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Search 
of the Department of Justice dated November 1, 2019, or any successor 
policy, as applicable.
 ``

    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Attorney General to carry out this section 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

``

SEC. 3064. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

 ``

    (a) Regulations.--The Attorney General may promulgate guidelines, 
regulations, and procedures to carry out this part, including 
guidelines, regulations, and procedures relating to the submission and 
review of applications for grants under sections 3062 and 3063.
 ``

    (b) Accountability.--
 ``

    (1) Records.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
 under this part shall maintain such records as the Attorney 
 General may require to facilitate an effective audit relating 
 to the receipt of the grant, the use of amounts from the grant, 
 outsourcing activities, and compliance with section VIII, 
 entitled `Sample and Data Control and Disposition', of the 
 Interim Policy on Forensic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Search 
 of the Department of Justice dated November 1, 2019, or any 
 successor policy.
 ``

    (2) Access.--For the purpose of conducting audits and 
 examinations, the Attorney General shall have access to any 
 book, document, or record of an eligible entity that receives a 
 grant under this section, a State or unit of local government 
 within which the eligible entity operates, and any entity to 
 which the eligible entity outsources work using amounts from 
 the grant if the Attorney General determines that the book, 
 document, or record relates to--
 ``
        (A) the receipt of the grant;
 ``
        (B) the use of amounts from the grant; or
 ``
            (C) compliance with section VIII, entitled 
 `Sample and Data Control and Disposition', of the 
 Interim Policy on Forensic Genealogical DNA Analysis 
 and Search of the Department of Justice dated November 
 1, 2019, or any successor policy.
 ``

    (3) Suspension and debarment.--In carrying out this part, 
 the Attorney General shall comply with part 180 of title 2, 
 Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation.

``

SEC. 3065. REPORTS.

 ``Not later than 1 year after the date on which an eligible entity 
receives a grant under 

section 3062 or 3063, the eligible entity shall 
submit to the Attorney General a report that includes--
 ``

    (1) the amount of funding the eligible entity receives 
 from the grant each fiscal year;
 ``

    (2) the number of cases for which the eligible entity 
 performed testing using forensic genealogical DNA analysis 
 during the previous year;
 ``

    (3) the type of forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing 
 performed by the eligible entity, including--
 ``
        (A) the name of any laboratory to which the 
 eligible entity outsources the testing;
 ``
        (B) the type of equipment used for the testing; 
 and
 ``
            (C) the results of the testing, such as whether 
 the testing resulted in successful victim or 
 perpetrator identification or no identification and the 
 time it took to make the identification;
 ``

    (4) the number of cases in which forensic genetic 
 genealogical DNA analysis--
 ``
        (A) resulted in a searchable profile in a 
 publicly available genealogy database;
 ``
        (B) generated a victim or perpetrator 
 identification;
 ``
            (C) did not generate a victim or perpetrator 
 identification; and
 ``
            (D) directly resulted in an arrest or victim 
 identification; and
 ``

    (5) the average number of days it took to make an 
 identification between the date of sample submission for 
 forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing and the date of 
 delivery of test results to the requesting office or agency.''.

SEC. 3. DOJ REPORT.

 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Attorney General, in consultation with the Forensic Laboratory Needs 
Working Group of the National Institute of Justice, shall submit to 
Congress a report--

    (1) on the awards and practices reported the Attorney 
 General under 

section 3064 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
 Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by this Act;

    (2) on forensic genetic genealogy technologies and how best 
 to implement forensic genetic genealogy into publicly funded 
 forensic laboratories; and

    (3) that includes recommendations for--
        (A) implementing forensic investigative genetic 
 genealogy technology, including expected funding needs; 
 and
        (B) necessary regulations for the use of forensic 
 investigative genetic genealogy technology.
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