SAN ANTONIO – House Bill 1729 passed through the Texas Senate on Wednesday in a 29 to 1 vote in favor.
HB 1729 would allow the state to crowdfund money from Texans to help fund rape kit testing.
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The Department of Public Safety reported a backlog of 20,000 untested rape kits ahead of the 2013 session, and lawmakers pumped $11 million into addressing the problem, according to the Texas Tribune.
The crowdfunding would come from an option to donate $1 when applying for or renewing your driver’s license.
More than 3,500 rape kits are still untested as of 2013, meaning they haven’t been analyzed in more than five years and there are likely more untested kits today, the Texas Tribune reported.
HB 1729 was filed by Democratic Rep. Victoria Neave, of Dallas, with the one vote in opposition from Republican Rep. Bob Hall, of Edgewood.
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