Carla Walker Act
Congress would fund advanced DNA genealogy tools to help states solve cold cases and identify remains
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Congress would let the Justice Department give competitive grants to states, local agencies, and medical examiners to use advanced DNA testing to help solve crimes.
- Grants focus on using whole-genome DNA testing and searching certain genealogy databases to create new leads when standard law-enforcement DNA database searches don’t turn up matches.
- Money could be used to test crime-scene samples or unidentified human remains, and labs could outsource the work to accredited labs (or labs that agree to get accredited within 2 years).
- The bill authorizes $5 million per year from 2025 through 2029 for testing, plus another $5 million per year to help public labs buy needed forensic genealogy equipment and supplies.
- Grant recipients must follow Justice Department rules on this kind of DNA searching, keep records for audits, and report results like cases tested, IDs made, and how long identifications took.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
5 articles
Cornyn, Welch Introduce the Carla Walker Act to Help Solve Cold Cases
Covers introduction of the Carla Walker Act and explains how forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) would be supported via federal grants to help solve cold cases.
Rep. Hunt Reintroduces the Carla Walker Act of 2025
Announces reintroduction of the Carla Walker Act in the House; describes two $5M pilot programs to expand use of forensic genetic genealogy for cold cases and identifications.
Cornyn, Welch Introduce the Carla Walker Act to Help Solve Cold Cases
Announcement of the Senate-introduced Carla Walker Act, framing it as expanding access to forensic genetic genealogy through federal support for investigative agencies.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Carla Walker Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(2)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.