SAFER Act of 2017
Public Law 115-107 · S. 1766 · 115th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 8, 2018 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Cosponsors (17): Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Dean Heller,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2017 or the SAFER Act of 2017
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2004 to require the Department of Justice (DOJ), in providing information about the role of forensic nurses to certain health-related entities, to provide information about the role of both adult and pediatric forensic nurses. DOJ must also provide additional information on the need for pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners in responding to the abuse of both children and adolescents.
(Sec. 3) Additionally, the bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to reauthorize through FY2022 the requirement for DOJ to allocate a certain percentage of funds under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program for grants to audit backlogged sexual assault kits (i.e., rape kits).
It extends from 2018 to 2023 the sunset date of DOJ's authority to award grants to collect DNA of arrestees and to audit backlogged rape kits.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 3541Related bill
SAFER Act of 2017
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Jan 8, 2018Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 27, 2017FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 21, 2017FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mrs. Handel objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was considered as withdrawn.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1766.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Handel moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 25, 2017FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Oct 23, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 28, 2017CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 231.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Sep 6, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.