Committee adopts amendment to give parents custody of children's DNA kits

The committee amended bill 38-73 to make child identification kits explicitly available to a parent or legal custodian upon request and to direct the Department of Education to provide student counts by district to guide kit distribution. "We're already doing this. This is moving ownership of the kits to the parents," a sponsor said during debate.

Supporters said the change reflects current practice while clarifying who keeps the kits and how districts should plan. The amendment replaced an older, ambiguous proposal that had raised questions about how "upon request" would be implemented.

The committee then held a roll call. The clerk announced the result as "By a vote of 15, aye, 1 abstain and 2 absent. The amendment is adopted." Members asked for the record to reflect procedural motions and a request to use unanimous-consent procedures for related items.

The amendment directs the Department of Education to provide counts of students by district to inform the number of kits needed each year; no new funding source was specified during discussion. The committee moved on after adopting the change; any subsequent floor action was not recorded in this session.