Footing the bill to store evidence

A bill referred to the Texas House Public Safety Committee on March 19 significantly could reduce smaller counties' costs of meeting the legislatively mandated requirements to preserve biological criminal evidence. H.B. 3594, filed by State Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin), calls for the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide storage facilities for smaller counties to store criminal evidence that could be a source for DNA testing. Shannon Edmonds, the director of government relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, says he doesn’t expect lawmakers to act on the McReynolds proposal until larger fiscal issues are resolved, such as how much federal stimulus funding Texas accepts. But, Edmonds says, the matter of funding the preservation of biological evidence is a pressing one. As DNA science advances, Edmonds says, he expects a broader range of physical evidence potentially to yield results for DNA testing. For instance, he says, objects defendants or victims touched momentarily may yield DNA results in the future. But, as far as storing that evidence, Edmonds says, the materials will fill up warehouses, leaving even larger counties with significant cost concerns. McReynolds did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
-- Miriam Rozen