Genetic testing bill introduced

CARSON CITY — A new bill introduced in the Nevada Assembly would expand the pool of people who are required to submit to genetic testing if they are linked to a crime.

Assembly Bill 234, sponsored by Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, would require that DNA be collected from people who are arrested for a felony.

An earlier bill from Gansert, Assembly Bill 105, would erase the need for a court order to be issued before the DNA sample can be collected. AB234 would expand those requirements to those who were arrested but not yet convicted of a felony. If the person was not convicted, the data would be expunged.

The slaying of Reno teenager Brianna Dennison in 2008 put a spotlight on DNA testing, when it was learned Washoe County had a big backlog of DNA samples.