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HB 7251 Connecticut House · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT CONCERNING THE RESOLUTION OF CLAIMS FOR WRONGFUL INCARCERATION BY THE CLAIMS COMMISSIONER.

HB 7251 streamlines the process for individuals wrongfully incarcerated in Connecticut to seek compensation through the Claims Commissioner. The bill directly affects people who were convicted but later exonerated, providing them a clearer pathway to file and resolve claims for damages. Key provisions establish specific procedures for the Claims Commissioner to review and resolve these claims without requiring court intervention. This law, now Public Act 25-57 after being signed by the governor on June 10, 2025, creates a more efficient administrative process for wrongful incarceration claims.
Issues: ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeStreamlines compensation for exonerated individuals, directly advancing civil rights protections in criminal justice reform.95% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 21, 2025 Signed Jun 10, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Raised Bill → JUD Joint Favorable Substitute · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to add a new title covering owner liability for recreational land use and to reclassify it from a 'Raised Bill' to a 'Substitute Bill' after committee review. The substantive changes focus on technical formatting corrections and minor adjustments to the wrongful incarceration compensation process, including renumbering of subsections and clarifying language around evidence presentation.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded by adding a new title regarding owner liability for recreational land use, though no substantive provisions for this new scope appear in the provided diff.
TECHNICAL

Bill title changed from 'Raised Bill' to 'Substitute Bill' and added new title text about owner liability for recreational land use.

ELIGIBILITY

Minor formatting changes to eligibility criteria for wrongful incarceration claims, including renumbering of subsections and clarifying language about evidence presentation.

REQUIREMENT

Changed language from 'shall present evidence' to 'may present evidence' for claimants, giving claimants more flexibility in what evidence they submit.

Reordered and renumbered the list of damages claimants can present evidence about, removing age, income, vocational training, and education from the required evidence list.

Adjusted the number of evidence subdivisions referenced from six to five, aligning with the renumbered list of damages.

TIMELINE

Increased the compensation threshold requiring General Assembly review from $35,000 to $1,500,000, meaning fewer awards will need legislative review.

Floor votes · Senate May 30, 2025 · House May 19, 2025

How they voted

36–0
Passed
Total votes 36
May 30, 2025
D Democratic25
25 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican11
11 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
6
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Jun 10, 2025
Signed into law
SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
lower
May 30, 2025
Upper · Passed
SEN. PASSED, HO. AMEND. SCH. A
upper
May 30, 2025
Upper · Passed
SEN. ADOPTED HO. AMEND. SCH. A
upper
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
HOUSE PASSED, HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A
lower
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
HOUSE ADOPTED HOUSE AMEND. SCH. A
lower
Apr 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Joint Favorable Substitute
lower
Mar 21, 2025
Committee
REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Judiciary
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.