The Colorado House Judiciary Committee voted to send Senate Bill 304 to the Appropriations Committee after sponsors described provisions to monitor and reduce the backlog of forensic sexual‑assault evidence kits and to improve survivor notification.

Co‑prime sponsor Representative Graham Johnson Froelich said the bill establishes an independent review board to examine systemwide bottlenecks, funding gaps and operational issues across municipal and state laboratories. “That board brings together the stakeholders with the expertise and ability to see the whole problem and the entire system and make the recommendations that we need,” she said.

Representative Brianna Wilford described the bill as a response to survivors’ accounts that prompted public scrutiny of the backlog. She said the measure sets performance goals — the bill directs testing to be completed within 60 days when possible (the current written goal cited in testimony is 180 days) — and requires that survivors receive periodic notifications every 90 days if their kit has not been completed.

Witnesses including Elizabeth Newman of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault supported the bill and said a public‑facing survivor dashboard already exists but that the new statute would require stronger reporting and monitoring. Kelsey Harbert, a survivor‑advocate who has worked with agencies on backlog issues, told lawmakers the board should cover municipal laboratories as well as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation because municipal labs process about half of kits statewide.

Sponsors said the bill also improves transparency by requiring regular reports to the General Assembly and committing agencies to a timeline for clearing the backlog. Department of Law and Colorado Bureau of Investigation officials previously agreed to work on clearing the backlog; sponsors said the board is intended to identify root causes and recommend both short‑term and structural solutions.

The committee voted to move the bill to Appropriations with a favorable recommendation; the roll call was 10 yes, 0 no with one member excused. Sponsors acknowledged fiscal and staffing needs for a coordinator or support staff to stand up the board and said a modest appropriation and one FTE were reflected in the fiscal estimate.