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S 2739 107th Congress Senate

Death Penalty Integrity Act of 2002

Official title: A bill to provide for post-conviction DNA testing, to improve competence and performance of prosecutors, defense counsel, and trial judges handling State capit… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to provide for post-conviction DNA testing, to improve competence and performance of prosecutors, defense counsel, and trial judges handling State capital criminal cases, to ensure the quality of defense counsel in Federal capital cases, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 17, 2002 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement AuthorizationBloodCapital punishmentCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
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CongressCongressional reporting requirementsContempt of courtCourt recordsCriminal investigationCriminal justice informationCriminal justice information systemsDNA fingerprintsData banksEconomics and Public FinanceEvidence (Law)Federal aid to law enforcementForensic medicineForensic scientistsFraudFrivolous lawsuitsGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHigher educationIdentification of criminalsJudgesJuvenile delinquencyLawLegal assistance to prisonersLegal assistance to the poorLegal educationLegal ethicsLegal feesLegislationLimitation of actionsMedical laboratoriesParolePerjuryPrisonersPrisoners' rightsProsecutionPublic prosecutorsRapeRight to counselScience, Technology, CommunicationsSentences (Criminal procedure)Sex crimesSocial WelfareState courtsTrial practiceViolenceWomen
This bill died when the 107th Congress ended
It never became law before the 107th Congress (2001–2002) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 17, 2002
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jul 17, 2002
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6950-6951)
Jul 17, 2002
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action July 17, 2002

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service
Death Penalty Integrity Act of 2002 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize an individual who, after trial, was convicted of a Federal crime and is serving a term of imprisonment as a result, to file a motion for the performance of forensic DNA testing on evidence that was secured in relation to the investigation or prosecution but not subject to DNA testing because the technology was not available at the time of trial.

Prohibits the Government from destroying certain biological evidence over a 60 month period.

Declares that no statute of limitations shall extend to any person identified by means of a DNA database prior to identification.

Directs the Attorney General to establish a system for reporting and tracking motions for DNA testing.

Authorizes appropriations to defray State costs associated with post-conviction DNA testing.

Amends: (1) the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 regarding the definition of "qualifying Federal offense"; (2) the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to include juveniles in CODIS (the Combined DNA Indexing System); (3) the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to authorize grant awards to States for training of counsel representing defendants charged with capital offenses in State and local courts; and (4) the code and the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit an attorney who has been disciplined relating to a criminal case, or where that attorney has been found to have rendered ineffective assistance of counsel in another criminal case, from being eligible to represent an accused.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2739: Death Penalty Integrity Act of 2002. 107th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/107-S-2739/
MLA
"S. 2739: Death Penalty Integrity Act of 2002." 107th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/107-S-2739/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2739, 107th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/107-S-2739/.
Markdown link
[S. 2739: Death Penalty Integrity Act of 2002](https://openamerica.io/bill/107-S-2739/)
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