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CS/HB 847 — Expedited DNA Testing Grant Program
by Criminal Justice Subcommittee and Rep. Johnson and others (CS/SB 1072 by Fiscal Policy Committee and Senator McClain)
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Criminal Justice Committee (CJ)
The bill creates the Expedited DNA Testing Grant Program within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to award grants to law enforcement agencies for the processing of evidentiary items for DNA testing at private laboratories.
A private laboratory is defined as any DNA laboratory accredited for a minimum of five years pursuant to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 of the International Organization for Standardization and FBI Quality Assurance Standards.
The bill requires the FDLE to annually award any funds specifically appropriated for the grant program to law enforcement agencies to cover testing of DNA samples by specified private laboratories when:
- The technology or technique needed to properly test the evidence or DNA sample is not readily available at a local or state laboratory; or
- When expedited testing of the DNA sample is in the best interest of advancing an investigation.
An agency receiving grant funds must submit a report to the executive director of the FDLE no later than one year after receiving grant funding, including the:
- Amount of annual funding received from this grant.
- Number of cases tested by the private laboratory.
- Type of DNA testing used, including the name of the private laboratory to which such testing was outsourced and the type of primary equipment used by the private laboratory for such testing.
- Lab report with the results of the DNA testing.
- The average amount of time it took to complete the DNA testing.
The FDLE may adopt rules to implement and administer the grant program. Grant awards to support the program are subject to appropriation.
If approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, these provisions take effect July 1, 2025.
Vote: Senate 37-0; House 114-0