Texas City Approves Funding For Rape Kit Tests

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Austin City Council has approved a nearly $1.2 million contract to have a forensic lab analyze a backlog of about 2,000 rape kits.

Officials plan to use grant money for the contract approved Thursday.

Austin authorities say some of the rape kits go back to 1990. DNA information from the kits will be entered into a federal criminal database.

Salt Lake City-based Sorenson Forensics is expected to do the work over the next 18 months.