Missouri lawmakers are dedicating $3 million to help address the state's backlog of sexual assault evidence kits.
The Columbia Missourian reports that the Senate Appropriations Committee designated the federal funds to the Attorney General's Office Wednesday.
Republican Sen. Caleb Rowden of Columbia proposed the budget amendment. The budget will now go before the full Senate. The money for the testing would be obtained through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative gives states funds to inventory and test kits, and provides resources to sexual assault victims. A Missourian investigation last year found that there was no information on how many untested kits Missouri had, and that the state had never conducted a full audit of the kits.
