Utilizing DNA Technology to Solve Cold Cases Act of 2011
Latest action · Apr 25, 2012 Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedNov 3, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Utilizing DNA Technology to Solve Cold Cases Act of 2011 - Requires the Attorney General to adopt policies and procedures to ensure that: (1) the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may conduct familial searches for DNA samples collected from crime scenes in federal investigations, (2) a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) state administrator or a state attorney general may request that the FBI conduct such searches in state investigations, and (3) the privacy interests of persons identified in familial searches are protected. Defines "familial search" as a search of the offender index in the National DNA Index System in which a DNA sample from an unknown source collected from a crime scene is compared to such index to determine if a familial match exists between the DNA profile contained in such index and the DNA sample collected from the crime scene.
Allows FBI familial searches to be conducted only if: (1) no identical match for a DNA sample collected from a crime scene can be identified in the offender index; and (2) the investigation for which DNA samples are collected involves murder, voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping, a sex offense against a minor, or an offense for which an offender would be required to register as a tier III sex offender.
Sets forth requirements for state requests for such searches, including assurances that the requesting state will: (1) take steps to facilitate the investigation of familial matches from other states, and (2) investigate possible familial matches in that state before requesting assistance from other states.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Nov 3, 2011 |
| Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee | Referred Nov 21, 2011Hearings Apr 25, 2012 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 25, 2012Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Nov 21, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Nov 3, 2011Introduced in House
- Nov 3, 2011Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H7332.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 112-147 | UTILIZING DNA TECHNOLOGY TO SOLVE COLD CASES ACT OF 201161 pages | Judiciary Committee | Apr 25, 2012 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Attorney General to design and implement a procedure to permit enhanced searches of the National DNA Index System.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Utilizing DNA Technology to Solve Cold Cases Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 3, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
