House Memorial 39 requests the Secretary of Public Safety and the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs to convene a task force aimed at studying the current state of sexual assault examination kits in New Mexico. The task force will also focus on reporting progress regarding the processing of backlogged sexual assault examination kits. This initiative comes in response to alarming statistics from the 2024 New Mexico Crime Victimization Report, which indicates that a significant portion of the population has experienced sexual assault, with many victims being very young at the time of their first incident.

The proposed task force will include various stakeholders, such as representatives from public safety, sexual assault programs, and forensic laboratories, and will be co-chaired by the Secretary of Public Safety and the Executive Director of the Coalition. The task force is expected to meet starting in July 2026 and will provide updates and recommendations to legislative committees regarding the processing of sexual assault examination kits, the adequacy of services for survivors, and potential legislative solutions to current challenges. Copies of the memorial will be sent to relevant officials to ensure awareness and support for the initiative.