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Committee advances wrongful‑imprisonment bill after exoneree testimony and judiciary implementation concerns
Summary
The House Committee on Public Safety voted to pass SB 3,294 HD1 with DCR amendments after emotional testimony from exoneree Gordon Cordero and repeated operational warnings from the judiciary that some orders in the bill must be handled in civil court. Lawmakers agreed to move the measure to conference and scheduled decision making.
The House Committee on Public Safety advanced Senate Bill 3,294, House Draft 1 — a measure to provide compensation and support to people wrongfully imprisoned — after testimony from an exoneree and agency witnesses and a committee vote to pass the measure with Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) amendments.
Gordon Cordero, who said he was released on Feb. 21, 2025 after 31 years of wrongful imprisonment, told the committee that the state left him at the gate with only a 30‑day supply of medication and no plan. "No ID, no money, no transportation, no access to basic necessities," Cordero said, arguing that "the advance payments are not a windfall. They are not a reward. They are basic survival" and that "freedom without support is not justice."
The bill would authorize specified payments and…
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