Georgia House votes to preserve rape kits longer

ATLANTA (AP) - Law enforcement officials in Georgia would need to keep rape kits for a longer time under a bill that passed the state House unanimously Thursday.

Current law requires rape kits to be stored for 10 years. The proposal would require Georgia to preserve the evidence as long as the crime remains unsolved or until a perpetrator's prison sentence has been completed.

The bill's author, Rep. Scott Holcomb, is an Atlanta Democrat and lawyer who said he's prosecuted rape and sexual assault crimes.

In an emotional speech on the floor, Holcomb said, "These crimes change and damage lives to a degree that is really incredible."

Holcomb was one of the main backers of a law passed in 2016 that helped cut down on the state's backlog of rape kits.

It now goes to the Senate.