Senate Bill 678 (2024) — Forensic genetic genealogy grants
SB 678
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2024 SB By Senator Bradley 6-00975-24 2024678__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled
An act relating to forensic genetic genealogy grants; 2 creating s. 943.327, F.S.; defining the term “forensic genetic genealogy methods”; creating the Forensic Genetic Genealogy Grant Program within the Department of Law Enforcement; specifying potential grant recipients; providing purposes for the grants; 7 requiring each grant recipient to provide a report to the executive director within a certain timeframe; 9 specifying the required contents of the report; 10 providing an effective date. 11
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 13
Section
Section 943.327, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 16 943.327 Forensic Genetic Genealogy Grant Program.— 17
(1) As used in this section, the term “forensic genetic genealogy methods” means any technology used in a forensic laboratory capable of producing a forensic genealogy profile with a minimum of 100,000 markers and compatible with multiple genealogical databases which is available for law enforcement use for the purposes described in this section. 23
(2) There is created within the department the Forensic Genetic Genealogy Grant Program to award grants to law enforcement agencies or medical examiner’s offices to support local law enforcement agencies in the processing of DNA samples as specified under subsection (4). 28
(3) The department shall annually award to law enforcement Florida Senate - 2024 SB 678 6-00975-24 2024678__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. agencies or medical examiner’s offices any funds specially appropriated for the grant program to cover expenses related to using forensic genetic genealogy methods to generate investigative leads for criminal investigations or unidentified human remains. 34
(4) Grants may be used for any of the following purposes: 35
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a) Carrying out DNA analyses of samples collected under applicable legal authority using forensic genetic genealogy methods for violent crimes. 38
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b) Carrying out DNA analyses of unidentified human remains. 40
(5) Each grant recipient shall provide to the executive director a report no later than year after receipt of funding. 42 This report must include all of the following: 43
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a) The amount of annual funding received. 44
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b) The number of cases tested using forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis. 46
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c) The type of forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing used, including the name of the laboratory to which such testing is outsourced, if any, and the type of equipment used for the testing. 50
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d) The result of the testing, such as victim identification, perpetrator identification, or no identification. 53
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e) The average amount of time it took to make each such identification or to determine no identification could be made. 55