Together, we can make the world a better place. Want proof? On November 5, 2003, the House of Representatives passed legislation that included the Debbie Smith Act, a bill that will provide funding to clear the staggering backlog of rape kits in this country and put more rapists behind bars. Congress took action, thanks in large part to the more than 100,000 viewers and Lifetime Champions for Change who signed our online petition! The Senate is expected to vote on this legislation before it breaks at the end of the month.

Here's the official press release:

Washington, DC, November 5, 2003 — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3214, The Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act — legislation which Lifetime and its viewers actively have been championing in order to put more rapists behind bars. The bill would provide $1 billion in funding to eliminate the enormous backlog of DNA evidence from unsolved rape cases that currently sits on shelves, waiting to be tested for an average of more than 18 months. If the backlog of untested rape kits is cleared, it is estimated that 50,000 to 100,000 rape and murder cases would be solved. Lifetime is grateful to the U.S. House of Representatives for taking this important step forward and helping to bring relief to countless victims of sexual assault like rape survivor Debbie Smith, for whom part of the legislation is named.

Lifetime has been working with Debbie Smith and leading advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to draw attention to the problem of the DNA rape kit backlog. Lifetime has been raising awareness with on-air public service messages and has launched an online petition at Lifetimetv.com to give a voice to viewers who want Congress to take action. More than 100,000 Lifetime viewers have signed the petition, and the network has been delivering those signatures to every member of Congress. This has helped build the momentum leading to yesterday's vote.