House Panel Advances Restitution for All Missouri Exonerees

JEFFERSON CITY, MO – A Missouri House panel has advanced a bill that would require restitution for all people exonerated of a crime in Missouri.

Under current law, anyone freed from prison based on DNA evidence is eligible to receive restitution, however those who are found to be innocent by means other than DNA could not receive any payment.  Republican Representatives Shamed Dogan of Ballwin and Ron Hicks of Defiance co-sponsored the bill that would allow those exonerated to receive up to $100 a day, up to $36,500 per fiscal year.

Missouri’s restitution statute was criticized followed the release last year of a Kansas City man who had been convicted of murder and spent 42 years in prison.  He was not cleared of the crime through the use of DNA evidence and therefore did not qualify for restitution.

David Smith, a democrat representative from Columbia, was the only vote against the bill.  He opposed it because it would prohibit exonerees from taking the state to court if they receive restitution under the plan.  The bill will now be sent to another committee before it can be sent to the full House.