{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-announces-federal-grant-help-eliminate-kansas-dna-backlog", "Davids Announces Federal Grant to Help Eliminate Kansas\u2019 DNA Backlog", "2023-09-15", "2023", "2023-09", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, Representative Sharice Davids announced the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) with $530,000 to speed processing times of forensic DNA samples. The federal grant, provided by the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program, will help Kansas law enforcement reduce violent crime, support local prosecutors, and create safer communities across the state.\n\n\u201cSince coming to Congress, it\u2019s been my mission to boost support for Kansas law enforcement, so folks can feel safe and protected in our community,\u201d said Davids. \u201cWorking to eliminate the current DNA backlog will help ensure our justice system moves efficiently and Kansans are protected. I\u2019m proud to have brought these new investments home to Kansas, especially for the KBI laboratory in Kansas City, KS.\u201d\n\nSince at least 2009, the KBI has dealt with a DNA backlog that has reached more than 31,000 delayed tests at times. While national statistics on backlogged DNA cases are difficult to track, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the number of backlogged requests for crime scene DNA analysis jumped by 85% nationally between 2011 and 2017.\n\n\u201cThe KBI relies on these federal dollars in order to more efficiently analyze DNA evidence,\u201d said Tony Mattivi, Director, Kansas Bureau of Investigation. \u201cWe are grateful for Representative Davids\u2019 support and the assistance of the entire congressional delegation in our efforts to enhance public safety.\u201d\n\nTo promote safer communities, the new federal investment will be used to:\n\nHire two new forensic scientists to reduce backlog and improve turnaround times;\n\nProvide training and required continuing education for analysts;\n\nProvide additional employee pay for the completion of supplementary casework tasks;\n\nReplace an aging real time quantitation instrument;\n\nPurchase new laboratory supplies for the validation of the new quantitation instrument;\n\nPurchase appropriate technology to provide a large, safe, and secure network storage location for electronic DNA files.\n\n\u201cLaw enforcement agencies, including the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, ensure the safety and well-being of our communities \u2013 and Kansas\u2019 three DNA testing laboratories are an essential part of their work,\u201d said KansasGovernor Laura Kelly. \u201cThis funding will be essential to create more jobs for scientists and technicians, purchase modern technology, and decrease backlogs and wait times on critical DNA tests.\u201d\n\nSince being sworn in, Davids has worked to provide Kansas law enforcement officers with the tools needed to keep communities safe. She secured funding for the Olathe Police Department\u2019s Mobile Command Unit and announced federal resources to hire additional law enforcement officers in Wyandotte County. She previously voted for historic, bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation to keep Kansans safe and a bill giving officers access to disability benefits for job-related PTSD. Most recently, she went on a ride-along with an Overland Park law enforcement officer and participated in trainings at the Johnson County Regional Police Academy.\n\nBackground\n\nThe KBI Forensic Science Laboratory is responsible for the analysis of evidentiary samples from possible crimes for all state and local law enforcement agencies and medical examiners offices within Kansas. The KBI has four laboratories within the system, three of which conduct DNA testing. The three laboratories conducting DNA testing are in Great Bend, Topeka, and Kansas City. The KBI laboratory in Topeka also houses the Databank Laboratory.\n\nThe DNA CEBR Program increases the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples processed for entry into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) by providing funding for laboratories to process DNA samples and to increase their capacity to process the DNA samples for CODIS upload.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-announces-federal-grant-help-eliminate-kansas-dna-backlog"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7776368875056505, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}