OLYMPIA, WA – A new report from the Washington Attorney General’s Office details how the state eliminated its backlog of untested sexual assault kits and outlines additional legislative recommendations aimed at improving care and access for victims and survivors.

Washington completed testing of the final kits in January 2025, nearly a decade after lawmakers established the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) Best Practices Advisory Group. At its peak, the backlog exceeded 10,000 untested kits .

The advisory group was created in 2015 to address gaps in evidence tracking, testing delays, and limited information available to investigators and survivors. The group, administered by the Attorney General’s Office, includes survivors, advocates, lawmakers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and medical providers .

According to the report, testing the backlog has already helped solve at least 22 cases, with additional investigations ongoing as thousands of DNA profiles were added to the national database .

Attorney General Nick Brown said eliminating the backlog marked significant progress but noted continued work is needed to address sexual violence and support survivors .

Lawmakers have adopted 41 of the advisory group’s 50 recommendations over the past decade, including measures to prevent future backlogs, expand victim services, require trauma-informed training for law enforcement, establish a survivor bill of rights, and remove certain statutes of limitations .

Despite those changes, the report found ongoing gaps in access to trained forensic examiners, particularly in rural areas. Victims may face long wait times or be unable to receive exams at hospitals that lack specialized staff. The report warns that potential rural hospital closures tied to health care funding reductions could further limit access .

The advisory group issued eight new legislative recommendations, including creating a statewide forensic examiner coordinator, establishing a “TeleSANE” program, expanding training grants, maintaining Victims of Crime Act funding, and reauthorizing the SAFE Advisory Group before its authorization expires in July 2026 .

The full report is available through the Washington Attorney General’s Office.