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Bill to compensate wrongly convicted heads to Idaho governor

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Posted at 9:03 AM, Feb 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-24 11:16:01-05

BOISE, Idaho — Legislation to compensate people wrongly convicted of crimes in Idaho has cleared the House and is headed to Republican Gov. Brad Little.

Lawmakers voted 70-0 on Tuesday to approve the measure that would pay $62,000 a year for wrongful incarceration and $75,000 per year on death row. Backers say Idaho is one of 15 states that doesn’t compensate people sent to prison for crimes they didn’t commit.

A similar measure cleared both the House and Senate last year, but it was vetoed by Little. Republican Rep. Barbara Ehardt says Little supports the new version that has already cleared the Senate.