Some officials in Texas – including Attorney General Greg Abbott – want to change how the state handles DNA evidence.
Abbott says he thinks testing on DNA evidence should happen before a death penalty case goes to trial.
"If you’re innocent, you’re going to find out that your exoneration will come sooner," Abbott said. "If you are guilty, justice will be more swift and more certain."
State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) wrote Senate Bill 1292. It would amend the state’s Code of Criminal Procedure by having the Department of Public Safety test all DNA on biological evidence collected by law enforcement.
A public hearing for the bill has not yet been scheduled.
