TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Nov 10, 2022

Following scrutiny over the slow turnaround of sexual assault kit testing, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has asked for a $45.3 million budget increase, the Daily Memphian reports. TBI Director David Rausch asked Gov. Bill Lee for the increase yesterday during the fist day of the state government’s fiscal year 2024 budget process. Much of the increase would be spent on enabling faster processing times for the kits as well as funding 71 positions. Rausch asked for $5.8 million to fund 25 forensic scientists and 14 support personnel and another $27.6 million for “salary modernization.” Lee pushed Rausch for more details on how much faster turnaround times would be, but Rausch was unable to answer.