Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 678
       
       
        
       By Senator Bradley
       
       
       
       
       
       6-00975-24                                             2024678__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to forensic genetic genealogy grants;
    3         creating s. 943.327, F.S.; defining the term “forensic
    4         genetic genealogy methods”; creating the Forensic
    5         Genetic Genealogy Grant Program within the Department
    6         of Law Enforcement; specifying potential grant
    7         recipients; providing purposes for the grants;
    8         requiring each grant recipient to provide a report to
    9         the executive director within a certain timeframe;
   10         specifying the required contents of the report;
   11         providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Section 943.327, Florida Statutes, is created to
   16  read:
   17         943.327 Forensic Genetic Genealogy Grant Program.—
   18         (1) As used in this section, the term “forensic genetic
   19  genealogy methods” means any technology used in a forensic
   20  laboratory capable of producing a forensic genealogy profile
   21  with a minimum of 100,000 markers and compatible with multiple
   22  genealogical databases which is available for law enforcement
   23  use for the purposes described in this section.
   24         (2) There is created within the department the Forensic
   25  Genetic Genealogy Grant Program to award grants to law
   26  enforcement agencies or medical examiner’s offices to support
   27  local law enforcement agencies in the processing of DNA samples
   28  as specified under subsection (4).
   29         (3) The department shall annually award to law enforcement
   30  agencies or medical examiner’s offices any funds specially
   31  appropriated for the grant program to cover expenses related to
   32  using forensic genetic genealogy methods to generate
   33  investigative leads for criminal investigations or unidentified
   34  human remains.
   35         (4) Grants may be used for any of the following purposes:
   36         (a) Carrying out DNA analyses of samples collected under
   37  applicable legal authority using forensic genetic genealogy
   38  methods for violent crimes.
   39         (b) Carrying out DNA analyses of unidentified human
   40  remains.
   41         (5) Each grant recipient shall provide to the executive
   42  director a report no later than 1 year after receipt of funding.
   43  This report must include all of the following:
   44         (a) The amount of annual funding received.
   45         (b) The number of cases tested using forensic genetic
   46  genealogical DNA analysis.
   47         (c) The type of forensic genetic genealogical DNA testing
   48  used, including the name of the laboratory to which such testing
   49  is outsourced, if any, and the type of equipment used for the
   50  testing.
   51         (d) The result of the testing, such as victim
   52  identification, perpetrator identification, or no
   53  identification.
   54         (e) The average amount of time it took to make each such
   55  identification or to determine no identification could be made.
   56         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.