Compensation bill for the wrongly incarcerated clears Florida Senate
Lawmakers passed a compensation program in 2008, but the law included what is known as a 'clean hands' provision that makes exonerees who were previously convicted of certain felonies ineligible for compensation.
The bill approved this week would do away with this provision.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R- Fleming Island, said the 'clean hands' restriction has excluded the majority of exonerees from receiving money. She said only five exonerees received compensation in the 17 years since the law was enacted, while 18 exonerees were denied payments.
This bill is supported on both sides of the aisle.
'Part of the privilege of being able to come up here and represent our constituents is the duty that comes with that to be able to right wrongs, to be able to stand up for the people of the state of Florida who have been wronged,' Bradley said.
'Progress sometimes comes slowly or incrementally. Sometimes the wheels of justice roll slowly. Nevertheless, they arrive at a destination of justice,' said Sen. Darryl Rouson, D- St. Petersburg.
According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 91 people in Florida have been exonerated since 1989.
An identical House bill is ready to go to the full chamber.
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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier slept in House chamber after refusing GOP-mandated permission slip to leave
Claim: In August 2025, Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, slept overnight in the state House chamber because Republicans mandated that no Democratic lawmakers could not leave without a "permission slip" and a police escort, conditions she refused to accept. Rating: Context: Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Texas Republicans announced they would redraw the state's U.S. congressional district maps mid-decade. The new maps projected that Republicans would gain five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democratic lawmakers protested the redistricting by leaving the state and preventing the quorum needed for a legislative vote on the redistricting. When the Democrats returned, Republicans mandated they not be allowed to leave the House chamber without a "permission slip" and a police escort, ostensibly to prevent them from leaving the state again. On Aug. 18, 2025, posts appeared on social media platforms, including Facebook, Reddit and X, claiming that Texas Republicans in the state House of Representatives had locked state Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat from Fort Worth, in the House chamber overnight, refusing to allow her to leave until she signed a "permission slip" and agreed to a police escort. Snopes readers wrote in and searched the site for more information about the incident. The claim is true. It was reported in several reliable publications, including The Texas Tribune, CBS News and NBC News. Collier posted to her X account on Aug. 19 showing her sleeping in the House. Collier's decision to remain in the House chamber rather than accept the Republicans' conditions was the latest development in a long chain of events that began in June 2025 when The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump was pushing the state of Texas to redraw its federal congressional districts mid-decade in order to preserve the thin Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. District maps are generally drawn every decade following the census. Redrawing them mid-decade without being ordered to do so by a court is rare, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. Texas is one of 26 states where the state legislators have the power to draw the maps. State Republicans, who control a majority in both legislative houses, agreed to redistrict, and submitted a congressional map that would likely turn five Democratic seats into Republican seats. State Democrats (and many Texans) protested the move. However, the Democratic Party hasn't held a majority in Texas since 2002, giving them very little power in the legislature to stop the redistricting proposal. According to The Texas Tribune, however, there is one option that both political parties in the state have used to delay legislation since as early as 1870 — denying a quorum. In order for a legislature to vote on a measure, a certain number of representatives must be present. This number is called a quorum. Without the politicians, no votes. So, state Democrats left Texas to block the redistricting bill's passage. Republican officials retaliated by issuing civil arrest warrants for the missing Democrats, although the move was largely symbolic because the warrants applied only within state lines. They also "moved to extradite absent members from Illinois, launched investigations and sought to declare at least one Democrat's seat vacant," according to The Texas Tribune. The missing Democrats returned to Texas following California Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement of a ballot initiative that would let that state redraw its own congressional districts to counteract the Texas redistricting. State House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Democrats would be given a permission slip that allowed them to leave the House on the condition that they were given an "around-the-clock escort" by Texas state troopers to ensure they did not attempt to break the legislative quorum again. Collier refused the police escort, meaning she would not be allowed to leave the state House until the next day when the body reconvened. "I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts," Collier said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. "When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won't just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination." Astudillo, By Carla. "Texas Republicans' Redistricting Map: How the GOP Could Increase Its Stronghold." The Texas Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025, Betts, By Hayden. "Denying Quorum Has Been a Texas Political Strategy since 1870." The Texas Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025, Davisson, Matthew, and Jack Fink. Texas Democrat Says She's Locked inside State Capitol after Refusing Mandatory DPS Escort - CBS Texas. 19 Aug. 2025, Eckman, Sarah J., and Whitaker L. Paige. Mid-Decade Congressional Redistricting: Key Issues. In Focus, IF13082, Congressional Research Service, "Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier Refuses to Leave Texas House, Protesting State Trooper Escorts." KERA News, 19 Aug. 2025, Goodman, J. David, and Shane Goldmacher. "White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains." The New York Times, 9 Jun. 2025, Governor Abbott Orders Texas Department Of Public Safety To Arrest Delinquent House Democrats. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. Guo, By Kayla. "Rep. Nicole Collier Spends Night on Texas House Floor after Refusing Police Escort." The Texas Tribune, 19 Aug. 2025, ---. "Texas House Democrats Return to Capitol, Ending Walkout over Redistricting Plan." The Texas Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025, Izzo, Jack. "This Democratic US House District in Texas Is Real, but It Was Drawn by Republicans." Snopes, 8 Aug. 2025, Klibanoff, By Eleanor. "Texas House Issues Arrest Warrants for Democrats Who Left State to Block Congressional Redistricting." The Texas Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025, Koseff, Alexei. "5 Things to Know about Gavin Newsom's Plan to Redraw California's Election Maps." CalMatters, 18 Aug. 2025. Lewis, Daniel. 'We've Had Enough': Texas Democrat Who Slept on State House Floor Speaks out | CNN Politics. 2025. "National Overview." All About Redistricting, Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. "Party Control of Texas State Government." Ballotpedia, Accessed 19 Aug. 2025. "Texas Democratic Legislator Is Sleeping in the State Capitol after Refusing Security Escort to Leave." NBC News, 19 Aug. 2025, Tracy, Matt. "Over 300 Protests Held Saturday against Trump Redistricting Push." Reuters, 17 Aug. 2025.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Texas Democrat sleeps at the Capitol to protest GOP actions in Texas redistricting fight
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democratic Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier refused to come to the state Capitol for two weeks. Now she won't leave. Collier was among dozens of Democrats whose walkout to Illinois, Massachusetts and New York delayed the passage of redrawn congressional maps sought by President Donald Trump. When they returned Monday, Republicans insisted the Democrats have around-the-clock police escorts to ensure they wouldn't leave again. But Collier declined to sign what Democrats called a 'permission slip' agreeing to have Department of Public Safety troopers follow them so that they could leave the Texas House chamber. So she spent Monday night and into Tuesday on the House floor, where she set up a livestream from the chamber while her Democratic colleagues outside had plainclothes officers following them to their offices and homes. Collier said having officers shadow her was an attack on her dignity and an attempt to control her movements. 'We need to shake things up and make some good trouble to have good change,' Collier said in a video Tuesday morning. The trooper assignments, ordered by Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, was another escalation of a redistricting battle that has widened across the country. Trump is pushing GOP state officials to tilt the map for the 2026 midterms more in his favor to preserve the GOP's slim House majority, and Democrats nationally have rallied around efforts to retaliate. 'They're following us everywhere,' said Houston-area Democratic Rep. Suleman Lalani. 'That's a very uncertain feeling that you have — that whatever you do, wherever you go, somebody's following you, somebody's behind the car.' The House was scheduled to vote Wednesday on the GOP plan, which is designed to send five additional Republicans from Texas to the U.S. House. Texas Democrats returned to Austin after Democrats in California launched an effort to redraw their state's districts to take five seats back from Republicans. Under the House's rules, the permission slips are needed to leave the House floor, though it wasn't clear how strictly that was being enforced. Wu, from Houston, and state Rep. Vincel Perez, of El Paso, stayed overnight with Collier, who represents a minority-majority district in Fort Worth. Throughout the day, Democrats visited Collier on the floor, which has a lounge and restrooms for members. Suburban Dallas Rep. Mihaela Plesa suggested that Burrows was trying to appease GOP colleagues who want Democrats punished. Republicans issued civil arrest warrants to bring the Democrats back, and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the state Supreme Court to oust Wu and several other Democrats from office. The lawmakers also face a fine of $500 for every day they were absent. 'This is more of an intimidation factor for the public — 'if we can do this to them, we can do it to you,'" Plesa said Tuesday from the House floor. Burrows dismissed Collier's protest, saying he was focused on important issues, such as providing property tax relief and responding to last month's deadly floods. His statement did not mention redistricting. 'Rep. Collier's choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules,' Burrows said. Under those rules, until Wednesday's scheduled vote, the chamber's doors are locked, and no member can leave 'without the written permission of the speaker.' Burrows' office declined to discuss the details of how officers were shadowing Democrats and the Department of Public Safety did not respond to an email message. Republicans want to ensure that the House has the 100 of 150 members present it needs to do business Wednesday. But Democrats said officers followed them in hallways and some even stayed in their offices. Plesa said she was tailed back to her apartment in Austin, and she saw an officer in an unmarked car watching her as she left Tuesday morning for the Capitol. Republicans argued that Democrats abandoned their duties for two weeks, preventing action on range of multiple issues, including flood relief and redistricting. Democrats' absence forced Republicans to adjourn a special session, though Gov. Greg Abbott called a second one before the first one had ended Friday. Democrats derided the shadowing as a waste of taxpayer dollars that took officers away from investigations of serious crimes. 'It's ludicrous,' Houston Democratic Rep. Armando Walle said. 'Do they really think we want to break quorum again, after being gone for two weeks — away from our family and our businesses?' ___ Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas, and Cline reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Texas Rep. Nicole Collier alleges "illegal confinement" by GOP
Rep. Nicole Collier, the Democratic state lawmaker who spent Monday night inside the Texas Capitol, is asking a court to let her exit the building, alleging she's facing "illegal restraint by the government" after she was told she needs a police escort to leave. The Fort Worth lawmaker and dozens of other Democrats left Texas earlier this month to delay a vote on a GOP-led plan to redraw the state's congressional map. The Democrats returned to Texas in recent days and they were given state police escorts to ensure they will show up when the state House convenes Wednesday, but Collier refused to sign a "permission slip" to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Collier says she slept on the House floor overnight. Collier told CBS News' "The Takeout" on Tuesday that several other Democrats "tore up their permission slips" and will join her on the House floor Tuesday night. "I refuse to comply with this unreasonable, un-American and unnecessary request," Collier said. Meanwhile, in a habeas corpus application filed in Austin state court on Monday, lawyers for Collier alleged "illegal confinement." The petition says state Rep. Charlie Geren, a Republican who chairs the House Administration Committee, told Collier: "If you leave the Capitol you are subject to arrest." Collier's petition does not mention the state police escorts. Collier's attorneys argue that's illegal. They acknowledged that Texas law allows lawmakers who are absent from the Capitol to face civil arrest, but they say state officials have no legal right to detain legislators who are already present at the Capitol to ensure they don't leave. "The plain language is clear: a member may be compelled by the Sergeant-at-Arms to attend a legislative session if he or she is physically absent, but no such power is conferred on the Legislature to arrest or otherwise compel a member who is currently present (and not absent) to stay," the Democrat's court petition read. Collier, a seven-term lawmaker and former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, is asking a judge to order the House Sergeant-at-Arms to "immediately release" her, and to bar the Sergeant-at-Arms from "restraining Representative Collier in any respect." CBS News has reached out to Geren, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment. The Texas House is set to reconvene on Wednesday at 10 a.m., when lawmakers are expected to move forward on a mid-decade redistricting effort that was pushed by President Trump. The new congressional maps could give Republicans a boost in next year's midterm elections, as the party aims to hold onto its narrow edge in the U.S. House. The plan was temporarily derailed earlier this month when dozens of Democratic members of the Texas House left the state in protest, denying House Republicans a quorum for the final two weeks of a special legislative session called by Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw the congressional maps. Republican officials threatened to seek Democrats' arrest or push from their removal from the legislature unless they returned to the state Capitol. Abbott called another special session starting Wednesday. Republicans are widely expected to pass the redistricting plan, given their decisive majorities in the state House and Senate. The plan has sparked nationwide recrimination from Democrats, with blue states like California and New York floating their own redistricting efforts. One plan in California could create five more Democratic-leaning seats, offsetting Texas's efforts. Texas Rep. Nicole Collier speaks out after being told she can't leave Capitol without police escort What's behind the latest FBI shakeup with Missouri AG set to join Bongino as co-deputy director Lead ACLU lawyer calls "Alligator Alcatraz," "unprecedented and not normal" Solve the daily Crossword
