Lawmakers in Lansing want to add 10 (m) million dollars to a fund to compensate those wrongfully imprisoned.
A 20-16 law says people who are wrongfully convicted and meet certain criteria can be awarded 50-thousand dollars per year of imprisonment. But there soon might not be enough money to pay people who are awarded judgments down the road.
Republican Representative Steve Johnson is a bill sponsor. He says these people were denied a right and they deserve to be compensated.
“The most fundamental role of government is to safeguard ones right to life, liberty and property.”
Johnson says the bill would ensure the state can make payments to the wrongfully convicted until the next spending year.