LD 1907
pg. 8
Page 7 of 10 An Act To Amend the Law Governing DNA Testing Page 9 of 10
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LR 2904
Item 1

 
committed or subject to registration as a sex offender under Title
34-A, chapter 15.

 
15. Report. Beginning January 2003 and annually thereafter,
the Department of Public Safety shall report on post-conviction
DNA analysis to the joint standing committee of the Legislature
having jurisdiction over criminal justice matters. The report
must include the number of postjudgment of conviction analyses
completed, costs of the analyses and the results. The report
also may include recommendations to improve the postjudgment of
conviction analysis process.

 
16.__Successive motions.__If the petitioner has filed a prior
motion under this chapter, the petitioner may file another motion
that must be heard by the court if the petitioner asserts new or
different grounds for relief, including, but not limited to,
factual, scientific or legal arguments not previously presented
or the availability of more advanced DNA analysis technology.

 
17.__Mutual consent to DNA analysis.__This section may not be
construed to prohibit a convicted person and the State from
consenting to and conducting postjudgment of conviction DNA
analysis without filing a motion pursuant to this chapter.__The
results of DNA analysis conducted pursuant to this subsection are
governed by the provisions of subsections 8 and 10.

 
SUMMARY

 
This bill, modeled on the Innocence Project's model statute
for obtaining postconviction DNA testing, amends the laws
regarding postjudgment conviction motions for DNA analysis in the
following ways:

 
1. It allows a motion to be brought at any time by any
convicted person, regardless of whether the person is
incarcerated and the length of the sentence of incarceration;

 
2. It allows the motion to be brought before any judge or
justice, not just the judge or justice who imposed the sentence;

 
3. It provides a time limit for the State to respond to the
motion and for the court to hear the motion;

 
4. It requires the State or law enforcement agency to
preserve all evidence in the State's or law enforcement agency's
possession or control for the period of time that a person
remains incarcerated, on probation, civilly committed or subject
to registration as a sex offender;


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