67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 HOUSE BILL NO. 92
2 INTRODUCED BY K. KELKER
3 BY REQUEST OF THE LAW AND JUSTICE INTERIM COMMITTEE
4
5 A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT PROVIDING COMPENSATION FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
6 WRONGLY CONVICTED OF FELONY CRIMES AND EXONERATED; PROVIDING A PROCEDURE FOR
7 FILING AND DETERMINING PETITIONS FOR COMPENSATION; PROVIDING FOR EXPUNGEMENT OF
8 CONVICTION AND THE PAYMENT OF DAMAGES FOR SUCCESSFUL PETITIONS; PROVIDING OFFSETS
9 FOR DAMAGES OBTAINED IN OTHER LITIGATION; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.”
10
11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
12
13 NEW SECTION. Section 1. Definitions. As used in [sections 1 through 6], the following definitions
14 apply:
15 (1) “Claimant” means a person who:
16 (a) was convicted and subsequently imprisoned for one or more felony crimes that the person did not
17 commit; and
18 (b) is not currently serving a term of imprisonment; and
19 (c) meets the requirements of [section 2].
20 (2) "Imprisonment" means a term of confinement of at least 6 months in a correctional institution as
21 defined in 45-2-101.
22
23 NEW SECTION. Section 2. Contents of petition -- establishment of claim for compensation. (1)
24 A claimant may bring a civil action against the state in the district court in which the conviction originated. All
25 claims of compensation are governed by the Montana Rules of Civil Procedure. The claim must be:
26 (a) accompanied by a statement of facts explaining the basis of the claim;
27 (b) written and verified by the claimant under penalty of perjury; and
28 (c) filed within a period of 3 years after:
-1- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 (i) dismissal of the criminal charges against the claimant or a finding of not guilty on retrial; or
2 (ii) the grant of a pardon to the claimant.
3 (2) A claimant convicted, imprisoned, and released from custody before July 1, 2021, who intends to
4 bring an action under [sections 1 through 6] shall commence the action no later than July 1, 2024.
5 (3) All pleadings must be captioned as follows: “In the matter of the wrongful conviction of [name of
6 claimant].”
7 (4) (a) A claimant who meets the criteria in subsection (1) and intends to bring an action under
8 [sections 1 through 6] must receive a transition assistance grant of $5,000 from the department of corrections
9 within 30 days of the claimant’s release from imprisonment.
10 (b) The claimant shall verify by affidavit filed with the department of corrections that the claimant
11 satisfies the requirements set forth in subsection (1), under penalty of perjury.
12 (c) If the claimant fails to file a claim within the time period described in this section, or if the claim is
13 denied by the district court, the claimant shall reimburse the state in the amount of $5,000 within 1 year
14 following receipt of the grant money.
15
16 NEW SECTION. Section 3. Commencement of proceedings -- burden of proof. (1) A claimant is
17 entitled to a hearing in district court as expeditiously as possible after filing a claim for compensation.
18 (2) A claim filed pursuant to [sections 1 through 6] must be served on the department of justice. The
19 department shall provide a defense for the state for claims filed under [sections 1 through 6].
20 (3) A claim filed under [sections 1 through 6] must be tried by a jury unless a jury trial is waived upon
21 agreement of the parties.
22 (4) If a claimant dies prior to filing or during pendency of a claim under [sections 1 through 6], the
23 person’s estate may file or maintain a claim pursuant to [sections 1 through 6].
24 (5) The claimant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that:
25 (a) the claimant did not commit the crime or crimes for which the claimant was convicted, did not aid,
26 abet, or act as an accomplice or accessory to a person who committed the acts that were the basis of the
27 conviction, and did not commit a lesser offense necessarily included in the crime for which the claimant was
28 convicted;
-2- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 (b) the claimant did not commit perjury under 45-7-201, fabricate evidence, or by the claimant's own
2 conduct cause or bring about the conviction. A confession or admission that is later found to be false or a guilty
3 plea that is withdrawn does not constitute committing perjury, fabricating evidence, or causing or bringing about
4 the conviction, and 45-7-201 does not apply.
5 (c) (i) the claimant’s conviction was reversed or vacated and either the claimant was not retried and
6 the charges were dismissed, or the claimant was retried and was found not guilty, and the basis for reversing or
7 vacating the conviction was not legal error unrelated to factual innocence; or
8 (ii) the claimant was pardoned by the board of pardons and parole or the governor on the grounds that
9 the claimant was innocent.
10 (6) The court, in exercising its discretion regarding the weight and admissibility of evidence submitted
11 under this section, may in the interest of justice give due consideration to difficulties of proof caused by the
12 passage of time, the death or unavailability of witnesses, the destruction of evidence, or other factors not
13 caused by claimants, the state, or those acting on their behalf.
14 (7) If the court finds that the claimant is entitled to judgment, the court shall enter a certificate of
15 innocence finding that the claimant is innocent of all crimes for which the claimant was mistakenly convicted.
16 The clerk of the court shall send a certified copy of the certificate of innocence and the judgment to the
17 department of justice for payment pursuant to [sections 1 through 6].
18 (8) The decision of the district court may be appealed directly to the supreme court.
19
20 NEW SECTION. Section 4. Expungement. (1) Upon entry of a certificate of innocence, the court
21 shall order the associated convictions and arrest records expunged and purged from all applicable systems,
22 including both electronic and hard copy systems. The court shall enter the expungement order regardless of
23 whether the claimant has prior criminal convictions in other cases that are not the subject of the claim for
24 compensation.
25 (2) The order of expungement must state:
26 (a) the claimant's current full name;
27 (b) the claimant's full name at the time of arrest and conviction, if different from the claimant's current
28 name;
-3- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 (c) the claimant's sex, race, and date of birth;
2 (d) the crime for which the claimant was arrested and convicted;
3 (e) the date of the claimant's arrest and the date of the claimant's conviction; and
4 (f) the identity of the arresting law enforcement authority and the identity of the district court that
5 rendered the conviction.
6 (3) The order of expungement also must direct the department of justice to purge the conviction and
7 arrest information from the central repository of the criminal justice information network and all applicable
8 databases. The clerk of the court shall send a certified copy of the order to the department of justice for
9 immediate action, and the department shall carry out the order and notify the federal bureau of investigation,
10 the department of corrections, and any other criminal justice agency that may have a record of the conviction
11 and arrest. The department of justice shall provide confirmation of the action to the court.
12 (4) If a certificate of innocence and an order of expungement are entered, the claimant must be
13 treated as not having been arrested or convicted of the crime or crimes to which the certificate of innocence
14 applies.
15 (5) (a) Upon entry of a certificate of innocence:
16 (i) the court shall order the expungement and destruction of any associated biological samples from
17 the claimant. The order must state the information required to be expunged and destroyed.
18 (ii) the court shall seal all district court records regarding the conviction. The district court records are
19 only available upon a good cause finding by the court.
20 (iii) the clerk of the court shall send a certified copy of the order to the department of justice, which
21 must carry out the order and provide confirmation of the action to the court.
22 (b) The department is not required to expunge and destroy any samples record associated with the
23 claimant related to an offense other than the offense or offenses for which the court has entered a certificate of
24 innocence.
25 (6) The decision to grant or deny a certificate of innocence does not have a res judicata effect on any
26 other criminal proceedings involving the claimant.
27
28 NEW SECTION. Section 5. Damages. (1) Damages, except as provided in subsection (3), awarded
-4- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 under this section are:
2 (a) $60,000 for each year of imprisonment; and
3 (b) $25,000 for each additional year served on parole or probation supervision or for each additional
4 year the claimant was required to register as a sexual or violent offender, whichever is greater.
5 (2) Compensation awarded under [sections 1 through 6] is not subject to the monetary limitation
6 under 2-9-108.
7 (3) An individual or political subdivision of the state is not responsible to pay damages, if any, and all
8 damages must be paid solely by the state.
9 (4) A claimant is not entitled to receive compensation for any period of imprisonment during which the
10 claimant was concurrently serving a sentence for a conviction of another crime for which the claimant was
11 lawfully convicted and incarcerated.
12 (5) (a) Except as provided in subsection (5)(b), the court shall order that the award be paid as a
13 combination of an initial payment not to exceed $100,000 or 25% of the award, whichever is greater, and the
14 remainder as an annuity not to exceed $80,000 a year.
15 (b) (i) On July 1 of each year, the award increases by an amount equal to the percentage increase, if
16 any, for the preceding calendar year in the annual average consumer price index for urban wage earners,
17 compiled by the bureau of labor statistics of the United States department of labor or its successor agency.
18 (ii) The amount for any partial year must be prorated in order to compensate only for the portion of the
19 year when the claimant was incarcerated.
20 (c) The claimant shall designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries for the annuity by filing a beneficiary
21 designation with the court.
22 (d) The court may order that the award be paid in one lump sum if the court finds that it is in the best
23 interests of the claimant.
24 (6) (a) In addition to the damages awarded pursuant to subsection (1), a claimant:
25 (i) is entitled to receive costs, including but not limited to the actual cost of all expenses reasonably
26 incurred in an action brought pursuant to [sections 1 through 6], and reasonable attorney fees, not to exceed a
27 total of $25,000, unless a greater amount is authorized by the court upon a finding of good cause;
28 (ii) may also be awarded other nonmonetary relief as sought in the complaint for compensation,
-5- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 including but not limited to counseling, housing assistance, and personal financial literacy assistance, as
2 appropriate;
3 (iii) is entitled to up to 2 years of tuition assistance at any unit or campus of the Montana university
4 system, which must be used during the first 5 years after receiving a damages award; and
5 (iv) is entitled to 1 year of state-funded medical insurance.
6 (b) All funds received by the claimant and the value of services provided, except any attorney fees
7 retained by counsel, are exempt from state income taxes.
8 (7) The department of corrections shall provide all reentry services to the claimant that are provided to
9 other persons, including but not limited to financial assistance, housing assistance, mentoring, and counseling.
10 These services must be provided while an action under [sections 1 through 6] is pending and after any
11 judgment is entered, provided the claimant prevails.
12
13 NEW SECTION. Section 6. Offset provision. (1) If, at the time of a damages award made pursuant
14 to [section 5], the claimant has won a monetary award against the state or a political subdivision of the state in
15 a civil action related to the same subject, or has entered into a settlement agreement with the state or a political
16 subdivision of the state related to the same subject, the amount of the award in the action or the amount
17 received in the settlement agreement, less any amounts paid to attorneys for actual costs and expenses in
18 litigating the other civil action or obtaining the settlement agreement, must be deducted from the amount of
19 money to which the claimant is entitled under [sections 1 through 6]. The court shall include in the judgment
20 entry an award to the state of the amounts deducted.
21 (2) (a) If subsection (1) does not apply and if, after the time of a damages award made pursuant to
22 [section 5], the claimant wins a monetary award against the state or a political subdivision of the state in a civil
23 action related to the same subject, or enters into a settlement agreement with the state or a political subdivision
24 of the state related to the same subject, the claimant shall reimburse the state for the amount of money paid
25 under the damages award, less any amounts paid to attorneys for actual costs and expenses in litigating the
26 other civil actions or obtaining the settlement agreement.
27 (b) A reimbursement required under subsection (2)(a) may not exceed the amount of the monetary
28 award the claimant wins for damages in the other civil action or the amount received in the settlement
-6- Authorized Print Version – HB 92
 67th Legislature
HB 92.01
1 agreement.
2
3 NEW SECTION. Section 7. Codification instruction. [Sections 1 through 6] are intended to be
4 codified as an integral part of Title 46, and the provisions of Title 46 apply to [sections 1 through 6].
5
6 NEW SECTION. Section 8. Severability. If a part of [this act] is invalid, all valid parts that are
7 severable from the invalid part remain in effect. If a part of [this act] is invalid in one or more of its applications,
8 the part remains in effect in all valid applications that are severable from the invalid applications.
9
10 NEW SECTION. Section 9. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2021.
11 - END -
-7- Authorized Print Version – HB 92


Statutes affected:
HB0092_2.pdf: 46-23-1041
HB0092_3.pdf: 46-23-1041
HB0092_4.pdf: 46-23-1041
HB0092_5.pdf: 17-7-502, 46-23-1041
HB0092_X.pdf: 46-23-1041