Governor Doug Ducey announced that Arizona will fund the processing of all untested rape kits and has vowed legislation requiring all future kits to be tested.
Ducey made the remarks in his State of State address on Monday.
FULL COVERAGE: Gov. Ducey's 2017 State of the State address
“Let’s get this done,” Ducey said. “And for the thousands of women who have been victimized, finally ensure justice.”
The Governor’s announcement follows through on promises he made last year when he formed a special task force to count all of the state’s untested kits and form recommendations.
RELATED: Governor Ducey calls AZ rape kit backlog an injustice
ABC15 first exposed the number of untested rape kits in the Valley with a series of investigative reports four years ago. At the time, the station uncovered there were at least 3,000 untested kits.
The Governor’s task force later discovered there were more than 6,000 untested kits across the state.
Ducey decided to tackle Arizona’s rape kit backlog after hearing about it from democratic Sen. Katie Hobbs, who has championed the issue for years.
Hobbs first spoke out about Arizona’s backlog in ABC15’s 2012 investigation.
Here are Governor Ducey’s full comments regarding rape kits:
That’s why last year, we came together and addressed an injustice long ignored: The backlog of untested rape kits in our state. The problem was so bad, we didn’t even know how many existed. So we committed to fixing it, and already there have been two indictments as a result of this important work. Through the bipartisan efforts of leaders like Senators Katie Hobbs and Kate Brophy McGee and County Attorney Bill Montgomery – we now have a handle on it, and we are ready to act. My budget fully funds the testing of all remaining rape kits. And with the recommendations of our task force, we are ready to move forward with legislation requiring all future kits to be tested. Let’s get this done, and for the thousands of women who have been victimized, finally ensure justice.
Below are clips from ABC15’s 2012 investigation.
Contact ABC15 Investigator Dave Biscobing at dbiscobing@abc15.com.
