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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: 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.
Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
(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.