Attorney General Josh Kaul is asking members of the state budget committee for $925,000 for upgrades to the crime lab.
The new technology would be used to identify synthetic drugs and hire four more analysts.
Kaul says the eight toxicologists currently working in the state crime lab are overwhelmed by the volume of drug cases involving highly-toxic fentanyl.
The Democrat says the new technology would speed those cases through the court system.
Kaul told reporters about the need during a video conference Wednesday from the Capitol.
