(a) The Department of Justice, through its California Criminalistics Institute, shall develop and coordinate an internship program in forensic DNA analysis for graduate-level students.

(1) Candidates for the program must possess at least a baccalaureate degree.

(2) The program shall be associated with graduate academic programs at accredited postsecondary institutions including the University of California and the California State University.

(3) The program shall include a one-year internship at a public forensic DNA laboratory for which the interns shall receive a stipend or fellowship funded by the Department of Justice.

(4) The program shall be designed to prepare students to meet national standards for DNA analysis, such as those established by the DNA Advisory Board (DAB) and the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM).

(5) In order to complete the program, interns shall be required to successfully complete a national certification examination like that administered in forensic molecular biology by the American Board of Criminalistics.

(b) Funding for the provisions of this measure shall be subject to both of the following conditions:

(1) The Department of Justice shall establish a working partnership and affiliation with accredited postsecondary institutions that can provide graduate-level academic programing.

(2) The Department of Justice shall submit a budgetary request for the internship program to the Director of the Department of Finance by May 15, 2002.

(c) The provisions of this act may only be implemented to the extent funds are appropriated for their purposes in the annual Budget Act.

(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 477, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2002.)