Georgia governor signs bill to preserve rape kits for longer

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's law enforcement will have to preserve rape kits for much longer than what was previously required under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Democratic Rep. Scott Holcomb, the bill's main supporter, said after Tuesday's signing that the DNA evidence in the rape kits will help solve cold cases and pursue justice for survivors of sexual violence.

Previously, Georgia only required rape kits to be stored for 10 years. The new law requires the state to preserve the evidence 30 years after the arrest date or seven years from the completion of a prison sentence, whichever occurs later. If there are no arrests, the kit must be stored for 50 years.

Holcomb also authored a 2016 law that helped cut down on the state's backlog of rape kits.