Lawmakers in Lansing want to add $10-million to a fund to compensate those wrongfully imprisoned.
A 2016 law says people who are wrongfully convicted and who meet certain criteria can be awarded $50,000 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.
Johnson says the bill would ensure the state can make payments to the wrongfully convicted until the next spending year.