House creates limited pathway for reopening certain guilty‑plea cases, citing Innocence Project compromise
House Bill 601, described as a compromise between the District Attorneys Conference and the Innocence Project, creates a mechanism for judges to reopen cases in rare situations of actual innocence; members praised the change and the bill passed third reading.
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Representative Freeman, sponsor of House Bill 601, said the legislation creates a limited statutory pathway for persons who entered guilty pleas but have new non‑scientific evidence of innocence to petition to reopen their cases. "This bill solves that problem by creating a pathway for innocent people to have their case, their case heard," Freeman said on the floor.
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