Carla Walker Act
Forensic Science: Grants for Genetic Genealogy DNA Testing
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
The Carla Walker Act has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now waiting for a vote by the full Senate. It is currently listed on the Senate calendar for future consideration. Although the bill has moved through the committee process, it is not currently scheduled for a floor vote.
Legislative Progress
This bill passed the Senate and addresses the popular issue of solving cold cases with new technology. It includes privacy protections that help it gain support from both parties.
Key Points
- This bill creates a new grant program to help state and local police use advanced DNA testing to solve old crimes. It provides 10 million dollars every year from 2027 to 2031 to pay for specialized testing and new laboratory equipment.
- Police can only use this money for cases where standard DNA databases did not find a match. It is specifically designed to help identify unknown victims and find suspects in cold cases by using family tree data from genealogy websites.
- The law includes strict privacy rules to protect the public. Police cannot arrest someone based only on a family tree match, and they are forbidden from using these DNA samples to look up medical conditions or health risks.
- To keep things transparent, police departments must tell genealogy websites they are law enforcement before searching. They also have to report back to the government on how many cases they solved and how long the testing took.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
The House has received the Senate-passed bill and will decide whether to take it up.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S2724-2727; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S2724-2726)
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articlesCarla Walker Act passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee
The Carla Walker Act passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15, 2026. The legislation expands law enforcement's tools for solving cold cases using forensic genealogy, providing federal grants for advanced DNA testing while ensuring strict privacy protections.
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is backing six bills aimed at supporting law enforcement
Sen. Ashley Moody expressed support for the Carla Walker Act, one of six bills advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The act stipulates federal grants for forensic DNA analysis to address cold cases, part of a broader bipartisan effort to strengthen officer safety and investigative tools.
New technology helping solve cold cases
Senator John Cornyn is proposing the Carla Walker Act to provide federal grants to law enforcement for genetic DNA testing. The technology, used by labs like Othram, can find suspects by matching DNA against genealogical databases, a tool many local agencies currently cannot afford.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Carla Walker Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.