Watkins, Mr. Joseph Samuel; compensate
This resolution compensates Joseph Samuel Watkins for his wrongful conviction and 22 years of incarceration following his exoneration in 2023. It directs the state to pay $1,688,527.40 total - $535,000 as an initial lump sum and the remainder as a 10-year annuity starting in 2026 - to Watkins for his losses. Watkins must sign a waiver releasing Georgia from all future claims related to his case. The resolution applies solely to Watkins and does not establish a general compensation program for exonerees in Georgia.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Last action Mar 10, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
LC 60 0127S/rcs
→
LC 60 0129S/rcs
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill number was updated from LC 60 0127S to LC 60 0129S, and the most significant substantive change is the removal of political subdivisions from the list of entities that Mr. Watkins releases from liability. This means the bill no longer covers claims against cities, counties, or other local government entities, limiting the scope of the release to state-level agencies only.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed by excluding political subdivisions (local governments) from the release of liability provision.
ELIGIBILITY
The release of liability clause was modified to exclude political subdivisions, meaning local governments are no longer covered by the waiver of claims.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was updated from LC 60 0127S to LC 60 0129S.
Minor formatting changes were made to line spacing and indentation throughout the document.
Floor votes · House Mar 6, 2025
How they voted
130–12
Passed · 17 other
Total votes 159
Mar 6, 2025
D
Democratic67
95% Yea
R
Republican92
71% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Mar 10, 2025
Committee
Senate Read and Referred
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
House Passed/Adopted By Substitute
lower
Mar 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
House Committee Favorably Reported
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
House Hopper
lower
4 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Eddie Lumsden
RRepublican
P
Katie Dempsey
RRepublican
P
Matt Barton
RRepublican
P
Omari Crawford
DDemocratic
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