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What do you do when you don't have the funding to address a perpetual backlog of unanalyzed rape kits? Ask drivers to foot the bill when applying for a driver's license:
Across the country, there's a backlog of kits containing potential evidence of sexual assaults. Victim advocates say the situation threatens public safety. Lawmakers in dozens of states are pushing for funding, and in Texas, one state representative has offered an innovative solution.
Thousands of rape kits sit sealed and untested in forensics labs and law enforcement offices in Texas. What's missing is state and local funding to pay to analyze the evidence in many of those kits.
If state Rep. Victoria Neave has her way, residents could help chip in. When Texans go to the Department of Public Safety office to apply for a driver's license, they'd be asked if they'd like to help the state pay to test DNA evidence from sexual assault cases — in the same way they're asked if they want to donate to support veterans or organ donation.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Snotnose on Thursday April 13 2017, @11:28PM (11 children)
I live in California, not Texas. Our illustrious leaders just seriously jacked up gas and registration taxes to pay for road repair. They never addressed the issues of how they've been raiding the road repair fund for decades, most recently about 2 years ago. We have 2 gas taxes, A and B (don't remember the details). A is dedicated to road repair, B isn't. So they lowered the tax on A, raised it on B, result was revenue neutral so they avoided all sorts of "Um, yeah, how about no" and slid it through. End result is less money for road repair, more money into the cesspit known as the general fund.
IMHO, the government, local, state, and federal, has plenty of money. The problem is what they decide to spend it on. They don't get campaign contributions for fixing roads, they do for bullet trains from nowhere to nowhere.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @12:10AM (7 children)
bullet trains from nowhere to nowhere
Madera to Shafter, to be precise. Amazed that anyone voted for that shit!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday April 14 2017, @01:10AM (3 children)
Maybe the people who are like my friends yesterday: train was scheduled for an absolutely absurd 4 hours and 50 minutes for a 174-mile trip, which takes 3+ hours by car (across LA to SD).
The train was pretty full despite that, so there is demand. It was also almost an hour late, barely beating a moped or a well-juiced cyclist.
The state of US trains is abysmal. The airports add two hours to every trip.
If the train to nowhere actually gets somewhere, people will realize what they've been missing (if the price doesn't reflect the short-term build costs, but is considered a strategic decades-long return).
The European and Chinese are waving at us from the late 20st century. Don't blink, they're passing by at 200 mph.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @01:50AM
The Shanghai Maglev Train, waves at 430 km/h (270 mph) ;-)
So the US has slow airports with fast planes OR, crappy train lines OR, snail fast cars?
1st nation..
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday April 14 2017, @01:53AM (1 child)
Maybe the people who are like my friends yesterday: train was scheduled for an absolutely absurd 4 hours and 50 minutes for a 174-mile trip, which takes 3+ hours by car (across LA to SD).
Back in the 80s I did a SIGGRAPH in Frisco, and decided to take the train home from SF to San Diego. First shock: Cost something like 150% over the plane ticket. Expected shock: 6-8 hours as opposed to 1 hour. Why? I'd heard the views were awesome and had the time.
The reality? Train left SF a couple hours late. Going into the scenic parts of the ride we stopped. Why? Never found out. An hour later we started moving again, too bad it was dark and the scenic thing couldn't happen.
Best part? Get into LA (remember, this was a San Francisco to San Diego train ride), find out we have to get onto a bus for the rest of the trip. That damned bus ride took longer than the original plane ride would have. Did I mention Amtrack cost more?
First and last time I took Amtrack anywhere.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday April 14 2017, @05:52AM
If it's like Canada, freight trains have priority. You sit at the station waiting for the track to clear then you pull over to a siding to let another slow moving freight go by.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday April 14 2017, @01:44AM (2 children)
I live in California and have never heard of Madara nor Shafter. LA to Vegas? Ok. LA to SF? Ok. Madera to Shafter sounds like a city who's name is made up to match "Shaft-us".
Fuck Brown, fuck the dems in sacto, I will never trust them with anything financial for the rest of my life (which, granted, I'm old and rest of my life aint' that long).
Then again, I've been watching these fuckers for 50 years now and fuck em, just flat out fuck em when it comes to honestly spending the money they get.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @04:58AM (1 child)
It is I believe halfway between Stockton and Modesto on Highway 99, although I might be wrong and it is sout of Modesto on the way to Fresno. Regardless it can be considered the sticks of Central California.
Having said that, it is probably a lot of relatively flat ground, and easier to get easements/land purchases in than most of the rest of the state, which might be why they chose it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday April 14 2017, @04:18PM
They wanted to create facts on the ground, with the money which had been approved.
You can spend those billions digging one great tunnel right away (i.e. after 10 years of studies and delays), or you can lay down a hundred miles of track on flat farmland.
The second option makes it easier to point at, when arguing that the project is moving ahead and providing jobs.
Even if the work gets suspended, a straight right-of-way with tracks has value, while a half-bored tunnel is a liability.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @01:56AM (2 children)
I think you summarize the problem quite spot on. The problem is not money supply, but money spending priorities. Which makes one wonder in this case where Texas spends theirs.
To remove taxes from burdening your income, move out or become big corp inc.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday April 14 2017, @03:14AM (1 child)
Agreed, the problem isn't ONLY the money.
Its been known [slate.com] since 2014 that the cost of the test [endthebacklog.org] and entering the results into CODIS [fbi.gov] ranges from $500 to $1500 max. I suspect the price has come tumbling down in the years since those stories were published.
(Samples from victims take longer and more work that the cheek swab, because there may be multiple sources, some consensual).
Cost isn't the only, or, it turns out even the main reason for the backlog. [thebillfold.com] There are social stigmas involved, and murder cases take precedence, and god help you if your case falls behind an officer involved shooting, where its all hands on deck and all evidence gets tested in a multiple labs.
The last administration already threw $41 Million dollars [archives.gov] specifically at the backlog problem in 2014, and apparently accomplished nothing. That was on top of $430 million in violence against women programs of equally questionable effectiveness.
The backlog is not money related.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @03:19AM
More investigators needed?
(ie money..)