Nevada’s Heller says rape kit bill out of committee

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said Thursday the bill designed to reduce the backlog of DNA rape kits has moved out of committee.

The measure would reauthorize the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act.

“Victims of sexual assault deserve swift justice and nothing less,” he said.

He said the vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee is aimed at helping Nevada law enforcement reduce the backlog of those rape kits — at one point more than 7,000 kits — and get them tested in hopes of finding the perpetrator.

He was joined in sponsoring the measure by Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Texas Republican John Cornyn.