Georgia CommonsHR 128: Watkins, Mr. Joseph Samuel; compensate
Última acción: 10 de marzo de 2025 · Senate Read and Referred
House Resolution 128 directs the state to pay a combined roughly $7.6 million to five men, including Joseph Samuel Watkins, who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated in Georgia criminal cases.
Los resúmenes de abajo son traducciones de resúmenes en inglés escritos por un modelo de IA (claude-sonnet-5) a partir del texto de la resolución; no forman parte de él. La resolución está en inglés. Cite el texto, no el resumen. El texto almacenado es la versión Comm Sub, la más reciente que tiene LegiScan.
El resumen en español de este proyecto de ley se está preparando. Mientras tanto se muestra el resumen en inglés.
En lenguaje claro
Georgia has no general law compensating people who are wrongfully convicted and imprisoned; lawmakers instead pass individual resolutions like this one. HR 128 compensates five men in five separate parts: Joseph Samuel Watkins (convicted of murder, exonerated in 2023 after evidence of juror misconduct and mismatched bullet evidence), Daryl Lee Clark (convicted of murder, exonerated in 2022 after a witness recanted and a translation error was uncovered), Michael Woolfolk and Mario Stinchcomb (convicted of murder and aggravated assault, both cleared in 2021 after a missing witness was found and supported a self-defense account), and Sedrick Moore (convicted of rape and armed robbery, exonerated in 2023 after new DNA testing failed to match him). Each man is awarded a specific dollar amount, paid partly as an upfront lump sum and the rest through a ten-year annuity starting in 2026. Each must sign a waiver releasing all claims against the state, cannot have a pending lawsuit against the state, and the payments are exempt from state income tax.
Qué hace el proyecto de ley
- Directs the Department of Administrative Services to pay set lump sums to five exonerated men: $1,688,527.40 to Watkins, $1,917,128.00 to Clark, $1,350,000.00 to Woolfolk, $975,000.00 to Stinchcomb, and $1,691,280.00 to Moore.
- Requires each man to sign a release and waiver giving up all past, present, and future claims against the state before receiving payment.
- Bars payment to any of the five if they have a lawsuit pending against the state seeking compensation for the same wrongful conviction.
- Structures each payment as an initial lump sum followed by a ten-year annuity in equal monthly installments starting in 2026, with interest.
- Exempts the compensation payments from Georgia state income tax.
- States that if any recipient dies, remaining annuity payments continue to his estate or heirs, but no estate or representative can seek payment on his behalf beforehand.
A quién afecta
The five named exonerated men (Joseph Samuel Watkins, Daryl Lee Clark, Michael Woolfolk, Mario Stinchcomb, and Sedrick Moore) and their heirs; the Department of Administrative Services, which must issue the payments; and the State of Georgia, which is released from further legal claims tied to these convictions.
Por qué importa
Because Georgia has no standing law compensating the wrongfully convicted, each exonerated person must wait for the legislature to pass an individual resolution like this one to receive any payment, and the amount, timing, and conditions vary case by case rather than following a uniform standard.
Disposiciones clave
- Part I compensates Joseph Samuel Watkins with $1,688,527.40, tied to a 2022 Georgia Supreme Court ruling finding juror misconduct caused him actual prejudice.
- Part II compensates Daryl Lee Clark with $1,917,128.00 after a key witness recanted her testimony and a sign language translation error was later discovered.
- Part III and Part IV compensate Michael Woolfolk ($1,350,000.00) and Mario Stinchcomb ($975,000.00) respectively, both tied to a previously unavailable witness whose testimony supported a self-defense claim.
- Part V compensates Sedrick Moore with $1,691,280.00 after new DNA testing failed to support the match used to convict him.
- Each part requires a signed release and waiver of claims against the state before payment, and bars payment if a state or federal lawsuit over the same conviction is pending.
- Each award is split into an initial lump sum followed by a ten-year annuity in equal monthly installments beginning in 2026, and is excluded from state taxable income.
Del proyecto de ley
“Georgia is one of only eleven states that does not have a statutory regime for compensating innocent individuals who have been exonerated following wrongful conviction and incarceration”
“the state habeas court granted the habeas corpus petition, overturning Mr. Watkins's convictions, and granting him a new trial”
“No estate of or personal representative for Mr. Watkins shall be entitled to requisition or otherwise seek compensation on behalf of Mr. Watkins.”
Cronología del estado
- Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Third Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
- House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)
Patrocinadores
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)
- Matt Barton (R, HD-005)
- Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)
- Omari Crawford (D, HD-089)
Votaciones
- Votación: Cámara de Representantes6 de marzo de 2025
151 a favor, 12 en contra (4 sin votar, 13 ausentes)
Temas
- wrongful conviction compensation
- criminal justice
- exoneration
- state compensation payments
- Floyd County cases