BOZEMAN, Mont. — Close to 200 bills have already been introduced in the State House and Senate for this upcoming 2019 legislative session in Helena.
From education to housing, here’s a summary of three standout bills:
Senate Bill 52 would revise the laws on how sexual assault kits are processed in the state. The bill aims to address Montana’s unprocessed rape kit backlog.
It was introduced by State Sen. Diane Sands (D-Missoula) and the Department of Justice.
Sands says it will protect the rights of victims to be involved in the process, create a uniform timeline for processing the kits and encourage collaboration among state and local law enforcement making sure DNA found in the kits is used and analyzed for prosecution.