Legislature agrees to DNA testing extension.

Legislation extending the deadline two years for criminal defendants convicted at trial to have their DNA tested for innocence claims unanimously passed both legislative chambers and was signed into law May 20.

That means two law schools working on innocence claims in Florida--at Nova Southeastern University's Innocence Project and Florida State University's Florida Innocence Initiative--will have until October 1, 2005, to ferret out, investigate, and file petitions for DNA testing from about 600 cases.

"It's been a long road to get there," said Sen. Alex V