AUSTIN, Texas – Texas lawmakers are pushing for a faster way to test DNA collected by suspected felons. Those opposed say quicker isn’t better.
What is the current law?
What we know:
Current law mandates booking facilities collect a DNA sample from everyone who is arrested for a felony.
Those samples are then entered into a database to check for possible matches to unsolved cases across the country.
What they’re saying:
There have been many of those violent offenders that have been arrested, and the DNA has matched, and they've been convicted, and justice has been served,
Now we are advancing two additional pieces of legislation that will double down on the success
By the numbers:
Texas DPS statistics reveal 37 samples led to hits in Travis County in fiscal year 2024.
Across the state, DNA samples have helped solve more than a thousand cases.
