Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, CFSO Liaison In response to the July 18, 2018, Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Promoting Justice for Victims of Crime: Examining the Federal Investment in DNA Analysis, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) launched a nation-wide sexual assault kit survey of all DNA laboratories in the United States […]
Source: Jeri D. Ropero-Miller, PhD, AAFS President-Elect On October 28 and 29, an AAFS delegation composed of Jeri Ropero-Miller (President-Elect), Ken Melson (AAFS CFSO representative), Lucy Davis (ASB Chair, OSAC FSSB member), and Teresa Ambrosius (ASB Secretariat) attended a Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) all-hands meeting outside of Washington, DC. Other meeting attendees included CFSO […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS CFSO Liaison The 2019 September and October issues of the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) newsletter are now available. Click the following links for full editions. CFSO News – September 2019 CFSO News – October 2019
Source: Zeno J. Geradts, PhD, 2019-20 President The Department of Justice has just announced at the International Symposium on Human Identification a new interim policy on forensic genetic genealogical DNA analysis and searching. This interim policy becomes effective November 1, 2019. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the policy before it becomes a […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, CFSO Liaison On September 9, 2019, AAFS member Matthew Gamette had the honor of testifying on behalf of the Academy before the Science, Space, and Technology Committee concerning advancements in forensic science since the 2009 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward, […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS CFSO Liaison The CFSO praises the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Principal Deputy Director Dr. Howard Spivak for his comments at the American Society of Crime Lab Director’s 45th Annual Symposium on May 24 and his announcement regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) formation of a Forensic Laboratory Needs […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS CFSO Liaison The CFSO is extremely excited to bring this message to you today. The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package, which will fund the government for FY18, was signed into law by President Trump on March 23. The House voted 256-167 in favor and the Senate voted 65-32. This […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS Representative, CFSO Board of Directors The mission of the CFSO is to speak with a single forensic science voice in matters of mutual interest to its member organizations, to influence public policy at the national level, and to make a compelling case for greater federal funding for public crime […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS Representative The April 2017 Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations newsletter is now available. Click HERE for the full edition.
Source: Betty Layne DesPortes, JD, MS, AAFS President Message to the Membership: On March 7, 2017, the AAFS Board of Directors requested input from the membership on two pieces of legislation proposed by the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO), of which AAFS is a member. The two pieces of federal legislation concerned: (1) the […]
Source: Kenneth E. Melson, JD, AAFS Representative You are invited to view the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) February 2017 newsletter at http://thecfso.org/newsletter/CFSO_Newsletter_201702.pdf. In addition, please note CFSO’s participation in the National Forensic Science Academy for Leadership and Management (NFSA). NFSA was created by a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation® that was awarded jointly […]
Source: John E. Gerns, MFS, 2016-17 President It’s hard to believe that it has already been five months since we all met in Las Vegas! It was an excellent venue for learning new techniques, exchanging ideas, meeting old friends, making new friends, and greeting colleagues. I assure you that our meeting in New Orleans will […]
The following is an update for April 24, 2016, including the language that has been included in the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill regarding forensic science. Completion of this step means that we are about a quarter of the way through the process. The President first proposed a budget to Congress earlier in the […]
LEGISLATION: Source: Victor W. Weedn, MD, JD, AAFS 2015-16 President There has not been much on the Federal legislative front that is visible, but the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) has been very active. The current makeup of the CFSO is: Matthew Gamette (ASCLD, Chair), Kim Collins (NAME, Vice Chair), Ken Martin (IAI, Treasurer), […]
On June 19th, the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) released an update on the status of financial legislation allocating funds to the forensic sciences. The release, which further explains the allocation and current status of the bill, may be downloaded as a PDF here. Congress is halfway through the budget process and the House has written its draft […]
The most recent newsletter from the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) is now available. Each year the AAFS pays dues to belong to this organization to provide insight into congressional activity in the area of forensic science reform and budgeting for grant programs that support the forensic sciences. You can read about CFSO and […]