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Senate committee hears emotional testimony on wrongful-imprisonment bill; AG raises procedural and fiscal concerns, decision deferred
Summary
The Government Operations committee heard extensive testimony on SB 3294, which would provide advanced compensation and services to people whose convictions are vacated on grounds consistent with innocence; the deputy attorney general opposed automatic payments and rapid timelines, advocates and exonerees urged passage, and the committee deferred decision-making to Feb. 19, 2026.
Lawmakers on Feb. 17 heard two hours of testimony on SB 3294, a wrongful-imprisonment bill that would provide advanced compensation and transitional supports to people whose convictions are vacated on grounds consistent with innocence.
Deputy Attorney General Michelle Pulo told the committee her office opposed the bill as drafted, arguing it would establish an automatic payment system that could disburse taxpayer funds before a legal determination of actual innocence was finalized and that five days for prosecutors to respond after a court decision is insufficient to evaluate reprosecution or other legal options.…
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