Albany, NY – Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) announced today that her bill to ensure accountability in the handling of sexual offense evidence has been signed into law (Ch. 646 of 2025 and Ch. 47 of 2026). “For too long, evidence kits have fallen into gaps in the system, denying sexual offense victims the certainty they deserve,” said Assemblywoman Paulin. “This law closes those gaps by establishing clear responsibilities and timelines so that survivors can have confidence that the evidence will be available to them.”

New York's sexual offense evidence tracking system, established in 2023 (Ch. 730 of 2022), previously only tracked kits once they were in law enforcement custody. Hospitals did not need to notify law enforcement when a rape kit was collected from a patient and ready for pick up.

Even if they were notified, there was no time frame for law enforcement to pick up the kits. As a result, according to the NYPD, hundreds of rape kits were left behind in hospital storage because law enforcement had not been notified of their presence. This legislation corrects this by requiring hospitals, in cases where the sexual offense victim gives permission to release the evidence to law enforcement, to record the collection of reported rape kits in the statewide electronic tracking system and notify law enforcement within 48 hours. Law enforcement must then retrieve the kit within ten days and report it in the statewide tracking system.

The law also addresses what happens when a survivor whose kit is stored at an Office of Victim Services (OVS) facility later decides to report the crime. Survivors have the option to have a rape kit collected at a hospital without immediately reporting to law enforcement, with those “unreported” kits stored long-term by OVS. Before this new law, if a survivor changed their mind and wanted to report the crime, there was no clear process for handling these cases, creating the risk that kits could be lost during the transition from unreported to reported status. The new law establishes clear guidelines requiring that when OVS releases an unreported kit to law enforcement upon a survivor's consent, it must be immediately designated as a reported kit subject to all tracking requirements. This ensures continuity of custody and prevents kits from becoming lost.

“This law is about justice and accountability for sexual offense survivors,” said Assemblywoman Paulin. “I am deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for signing this bill and for her support to strengthen the state’s rape kit tracking system. Survivors deserve a system that works for them at every step and puts their rights and peace of mind at its center.”

“The NYPD is committed to supporting all survivors of sexual assault, but for too long there were gaps in the protocols required for handling the evidence needed to solve these vital cases,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “Thanks to the Sexual Offense Evidence Collection Kit Tracking law, we will now have the necessary clarity on timelines and processes for the collection of sexual assault kits that will be crucial in getting justice for survivors. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this bill into law and the sponsors of this important legislation, New York State Senator Gounardes and New York State Assemblymember Paulin, for their dedication and partnership on this issue.”

“Rape kit tracking systems are more than administrative tools – they are vital components to a survivor's healing process. After leaving the hospital and undergoing an invasive exam, many survivors will never receive an update on the status of their rape kit,” said Ilse Knecht, Policy and Advocacy Director for the Joyful Heart Foundation. “Having access to information about the status and location of their rape kit can help survivors counter the loss of self-determination and control that is often at the core of a sexual assault experience. The passage of A9480/S8765 is a victory for survivors, and we are deeply grateful to Assemblywoman Paulin for her leadership and commitment to closing this gap in the law.”

This legislation was sponsored in the New York State Senate by State Senator Andrew Gounardes and goes into effect six months from enactment.