A repeated attempt to fix Georgia’s inefficient system for compensating people wrongfully convicted of crimes almost died. Then it got tacked onto a bill that could compensate former President Donald Trump and his codefendants for attorneys’ fees after they were indicted for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
The combined bill, Senate Bill 244, won final approval Friday, the last day of Georgia’s legislative session.
If Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signs the bill, it would let criminal defendants recoup attorneys’ fees in cases where a prosecutor gets disqualified and the case is dismissed. It would also establish a state law requiring an administrative law judge to award $75,000 per year of incarceration to people who have been found wrongfully convicted if they prove they are innocent of the crime or any lesser offense.
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