Colorado congressman Scott Tipton has signed on as an original co-sponsor of a new federal version of Katie's Law introduced in the U.S. House last week.

House Resolution 6014 seeks to provide grants to help states implement minimum and enhanced DNA collection processes. Tipton introduced Katie's Law in Colorado when he was a state legislator before it was signed into law.

"I'm proud of the work we did to pass Katie's Law in Colorado... [and] hope to further strengthen the impact of Katie's Law by bringing it to a national scale," Tipton said. "This common sense measure will aid law enforcement in tracking down dangerous criminals, protecting our women and children, and preventing future crimes from being committed."

The republican congressman says he is encouraged with the progress being made so far. Tipton also says the legislation identifies an cut in federal spending and wont cost taxpayers a dime.

Katie's Law is named after Katie Sepich, a young woman who was raped and murdered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Her killer was arrested following her death, but it wasn't until three years passed that he was convicted of a felony and his DNA was collected, linking him to Katie's murder.

The federal version of Katie's Law would provide incentives for states to participate in this program while expanding a nationwide database of DNA.