Florida Senate - 2024 CS for SB 678
By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senator Bradley
591-02152-24 2024678c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Forensic Investigative Genetic
3 Genealogy Grant Program; creating s. 943.327, F.S.;
4 defining the term “investigative genetic genealogy”;
5 requiring that certain methods be in accordance with
6 Department of Law Enforcement rules and compatible
7 with certain databases; specifying the intent for
8 certain funding; creating the Forensic Investigative
9 Genetic Genealogy Grant Program within the Department
10 of Law Enforcement; specifying potential grant
11 recipients; providing purposes for the grants under
12 the program; requiring each grant recipient to provide
13 a report to the executive director within a certain
14 timeframe; specifying the required contents of the
15 report; providing rulemaking authority; providing an
16 effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Section 943.327, Florida Statutes, is created to
21 read:
22 943.327 Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Grant
23 Program.—
24 (1) As used in this section, the term “forensic
25 investigative genetic genealogy” means the combined application
26 of laboratory testing, genetic genealogy, and law enforcement
27 investigative methods to develop investigative leads in unsolved
28 violent crimes and provide investigative leads as to the
29 identity of unidentified human remains. Such methods must be in
30 accordance with department rule and compatible with multiple
31 genealogical databases that are available for law enforcement
32 use for the purposes described in this section. For purposes of
33 the grant program created in this section, funding is intended
34 to be used for developing genealogy DNA profiles consisting of
35 100,000 or more markers.
36 (2) There is created within the department the Forensic
37 Investigative Genetic Genealogy Grant Program to award grants to
38 statewide and local law enforcement agencies and medical
39 examiner’s offices to support those agencies and offices in the
40 processing of DNA samples as specified under subsection (4).
41 (3) The department shall annually award to statewide and
42 local law enforcement agencies and medical examiner’s offices
43 any funds specially appropriated for the grant program to cover
44 expenses related to using forensic investigative genetic
45 genealogy methods to generate investigative leads for criminal
46 investigations of violent crimes and to aid in the
47 identification of unidentified human remains.
48 (4) Grants may be used in accordance with department rule
49 for any of the following purposes:
50 (a) The analysis of DNA samples collected under applicable
51 legal authority using forensic investigative genetic genealogy
52 methods for solving violent crimes.
53 (b) The analysis of DNA samples of unidentified human
54 remains.
55 (5) Each grant recipient shall provide to the executive
56 director a report no later than 1 year after receipt of funding
57 under the grant program. The report must include all of the
58 following:
59 (a) The amount of funding received.
60 (b) The number and type of cases pursued using forensic
61 investigative genetic genealogy methods.
62 (c) The type of forensic investigative genetic genealogy
63 methods used, including the name of the laboratory to which such
64 testing was outsourced, if any, and the identity of the entity
65 conducting any genetic genealogical research.
66 (d) The result of the testing, such as decedent
67 identification, perpetrator identification, or no
68 identification.
69 (e) The amount of time it took to make an identification or
70 to determine no identification could be made.
71 (6) The department may adopt rules pursuant to ss.
72 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement and administer this section
73 and to establish the process for the allocation of grant funds.
74 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.