The Act expands the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and provides legal assistance to survivors of dating violence.

[1] On March 3, 1989, a man wearing a ski mask entered Debbie Smith's home in Williamsburg, Virginia, threatened her with a gun, dragged her into the woods, blindfolded her, and raped her repeatedly over the next hour.

Smith participated in the collection of DNA evidence for a rape kit, but it was neither formally tested nor entered into a national database until 1994.

[2][3] The Act attempts to eliminate backlogs of DNA samples collected from crime victims and criminal offenders, to expand the number and type of samples included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), and to provide legal assistance to survivors of dating violence.

14135) to reauthorize and broaden the number of eligible grantees under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program.

The Act expands eligible grantees to include local units of government and authorizes the appropriation of $151,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2005 through 2009 to states and local units of government to conduct DNA analyses of backlogged DNA samples collected from victims and criminal offenders.

Eligible states, units of local government and sexual assault examination programs can apply for sexual assault forensic exam program grants for training, technical assistance and education regarding the identification, collection, preservation and analysis of DNA samples and evidence.

The bill would amend the Debbie Smith Act of 2004 in order to reauthorize funding through Fiscal Year 2019 for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, sexual assault forensic exam program grants, and DNA training and education for law enforcement, correctional personnel, and court officers.

[9] He also said that he was "pleased that the House voted today to stand by these brave victims and ensure that DNA analysis is completed quickly so that law enforcement officials can accurately identify, prosecute, and lock these criminals in jail so that sexual predators are not left free to roam our streets and potentially hurt more women.

In 2019, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019 was signed into law by Trump to provide funding to help eliminate backlogs in rape kit testing.

[15] According to ABC News, since 2004, the Debbie Smith Act has had some success with almost 200,000 sexual offenders identified, and over 40% of all DNA matches since 2005 were because of resources that became available because of grant money.