GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2015

S                                                                                                                                                    D

SENATE DRS45172-SAa-8  (12/23)

 

 

 

Short Title:        State Crime Lab Capacity Act/Funds.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senators Stein, Apodaca, and Rabon (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:

 

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to appropriate funds to enable the state crime laboratory to meet law enforcement demands and protect the public.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of one million twenty‑three thousand six hundred thirty‑five dollars ($1,023,635) for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year and the sum of one million twenty‑three thousand six hundred thirty‑five dollars ($1,023,635) for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year to provide a ten percent (10%) salary increase to all persons employed by the State Crime Laboratory in any of the following positions:

(1)        Forensic Scientist I.

(2)        Forensic Scientist II.

(3)        Forensic Scientist III.

(4)        Forensic Supervisor.

(5)        Forensic Manager.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of one million eight hundred twenty thousand seventy hundred eight‑two dollars ($1,820,782) in nonrecurring funds for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year and the sum of seven hundred sixteen thousand two hundred thirty‑four dollars ($716,234) in nonrecurring funds for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year to analyze up to 6,030 pending cases, to address the toxicology backlog, and to support private laboratory expert testimony costs.

SECTION 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of five hundred seventy‑eight thousand one hundred seventy‑seven dollars ($578,177) in nonrecurring funds for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year to fund start‑up equipment for the Western Regional Crime Laboratory.

SECTION 4.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of two hundred fifty‑one thousand one hundred seventeen dollars ($251,117) in recurring funds for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year and the sum of three hundred thirty thousand five hundred four dollars ($330,504) in recurring funds for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year to hire six lab technicians to complete important but nonscientific tasks to enable forensic scientists to focus on the testing workload in order to improve turnaround time.

SECTION 5.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Justice the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year to contract for private training of new uncertified forensic DNA scientists in order to allow existing forensic DNA scientists to focus on the testing workload and improving turnaround time.

SECTION 6.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2015.