This week, Illinois became the first state to mandate the submission of all Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits and has now become a model for the rest of the nation. This landmark legislation will help to solve open cases of sexual assault, free the wrongly accused and help build the criminal DNA database in Illinois.

The new law creates the Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act, which is in response to a 2009 Chicago Tribune article which reported that few law enforcement agencies require all Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits, also known as rape kits, to be tested in a laboratory.

Rape kits prove very powerful when identifying an attacker, but are very invasive and sometimes physically uncomfortable. When a victim agrees to be tested they are unaware that there is potential that the evidence may never be analyzed and will be stored in a closet never to be looked at again; until now.

An initiative of Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the bill commands law enforcement agencies to report to the State Police laboratory the number of rape kits that are in their custody but have not yet been tested. The agencies are then obligated to turn over rape kits to the laboratory within 120 days after the effective date of the legislation. The laboratory will have six months after receiving the rape kits to analyze the test evidence.

I applaud Attorney General Madigan’s office for understanding the important impact this legislation will have on the lives of victims and their families and for helping to advance this legislation. As a mother, if my child ever became a victim to sexual assault, I want law enforcement and the judicial system to have every single tool imaginable for justice to prevail and I wish the same for every family in Illinois.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact your local law enforcement or a local violence shelter to seek assistance.