Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed Senate Bill 125 on Tuesday, blocking legislation that would have extended compensation for wrongfully convicted people in Louisiana.
The bill moved to raise the maximum payout from $400,000 to $600,000 — extending the payout period by five years, bringing it from 10 to 15 years. For our original coverage, click here.
The bill passed through the Senate and House in April with unanimous bipartisan support from all 144 legislators.
In his veto message, Landry said, "At a time when working families are struggling with rising costs, our teachers did not receive the permanent pay raise they deserve, and taxpayers expecting government to spend their money responsibly, I cannot support a bill that increases potential payouts by 50% while failing to address serious flaws in the process."
To read Gov. Landry's full veto message, click here.
Zachary Crawford, a staff attorney with Innocence & Justice Louisiana, said the bill would have impacted a small number of people.
"...and thus it has a very small fiscal impact, as well," Crawford said. "I think that's part of the reason that the legislature was comfortable passing this, is that Louisiana already pays one of the lowest rates of compensation to wrongfully convicted people in the country. This 10-year cap is pretty unprecedented. Most states do not have a cap based on years, and even those that do, like Florida, cap it at 40 years."
Gregory Bright was wrongfully convicted of second-degree murder in 1975 and spent nearly 28 years in prison before he was exonerated.
"The devastating effect that it has had on my family-- you know, my mom died while I was in prison. My oldest sister died while I was in prison," Bright said. "[My mom] wasn't here for the day—that day that I was released, and I mean, that's something that still haunts me today."
The governor cited concerns about people "gaming the system" in his veto message.
"I'm not double-dipping; I need help. I have a house that I'm going to have to sell. I owe everybody, even Jack the Cookie Man, you know, I'm in debt up and down," Bright said.
Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, wrote the bill. He said the unanimous legislative support gives him hope.
"I know that there are going to be people who step up to help these individuals because a part of their life was taken away from them that they will never regain," Boudreaux said. "If not through this mechanism, how can we repair some of that damage?"
A GoFundMe has been set up to benefit the 10 exonerated individuals who would have benefited from this bill being signed into law.
