DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis signed a law Tuesday aimed at reducing the number of days it takes to process rape kit backlogs, an issue state lawmakers say has had devastating consequences for survivors and victims of sexual assault.
SB25-304, otherwise known as the “Miranda Gorden Justice For Survivors Act of 2025,” creates the Colorado Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Evidence Review Board under the purview of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. Its mission will mirror that of the existing Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, according to a spokeswoman with the Colorado House Democrats.
Under the new law, the board will review and evaluate how effective current protocols, standards and training practices are when it comes to sexual reports across the state. It also mandates that law enforcement agencies notify victims at least once every three months if they have received DNA results for their case.
The law also sets a 60-day goal for crime labs to analyze and process rape kits and instructs the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to update each member of the General Assembly about the backlog in cases and where issues might pop up in resolving the backlog at least every moth.
State
Colorado Bureau of Investigation launches dashboard to address rape kit backlog
"CBI’s backlog exceeding 550 days is unacceptable,” said Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn, after the law was passed. “There are over 1,300 survivors waiting for their results, and each number is a real person who is seeking the answers they need to pursue accountability and justice. Survivors deserve better, and this law shows them that Colorado stands with them in their fight.”
Back in February, the CBI announced it would start publicly tracking its progress to address the backlog, which was exacerbated by an investigation into one its former forensic scientists accused of mishandling DNA evidence.
The dashboard, which went live on Feb. 25, will provide monthly updates on the agency’s effort to reduce the current turnaround time to test rape kits, which stands at over 500 days. CBI Director Chris Schaefer said at the timethe dashboard was created in the interest of transparency and accountability as the agency works to overcome what he called “extraordinary circumstances” that contributed to the already severe backlog.
The backlog at the state crime lab was exacerbated by an investigation into a former CBI forensic scientist, Yvonne "Missy" Woods. In 2024, half of the lab work done at CBI was dedicated to reviewing her cases.
Before her retirement in 2023, the rape kit backlog was more than 200 days — more than twice the goal the CBI had set for itself.
As of Wednesday, the number of sexual assault cases waiting for confirmatory testing stood at approximately 1,300 cases.
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