Lawmakers are expected to make a decision soon about whether to propose changes to Montana’s compensation for those exonerated of a crime. An interim committee in September will vote on recommended policy changes ahead of next year’s legislative session.
Montana’s Law and Justice Interim Committee Tuesday touched back on an almost five-year long discussion involving lawmakers and state officials over how Montana should handle compensation for those exonerated in wrongful conviction cases. Republican Representative Barry Usher, R-Billings, spoke in the hearing.
“I think all of us agree that we need to do something. It's just the mechanics of it that we're fighting about,” said Usher.
Montana’s compensation law for the wrongly conflicted expired earlier this year. An attempt to keep the program going with some changes was vetoed in 2023.
Both policies had raised concerns about how compensation is paid for between the state and counties and requirements for people to prove their innocence in order to receive the money.
Amy Sings In The Timber is the executive director of the Montana Innocence Project. She attended the hearing, and says she’s hopeful a compromise can be found.
“Our greatest interest is that exonerees receive meaningful compensation in, you know-- through a process that causes them the least amount of pain,” said Sings In The Timber.
The committee will meet again in September to decide if any of their drafts will move forward as a bill during the 2025 legislative session.
