SB 1515 expands and restructures Oregon’s process for people seeking compensation for wrongful convictions. The bill allows a person who was convicted of one or more felonies, imprisoned, and later had the conviction reversed or vacated with dismissal or acquittal on retrial, or who received a gubernatorial pardon, to petition the state for compensation if they can show they did not commit the crime and did not cause the conviction through perjury, fabrication, or other misconduct. It also clarifies that certain juvenile adjudications can qualify if they resulted in at least one year in custody, and it creates a formal role for the Attorney General to review claims and issue a written determination within 180 days of receiving the necessary records and evidence.
The bill sets specific compensation amounts and related remedies. Successful petitioners are entitled to $65,000 per year of imprisonment, plus $25,000 per year for parole, post-prison supervision, or sex-offender registration, with no punitive damages. Awards may be paid partly as an initial lump sum and the rest as an annuity, unless the court finds a lump sum is in the petitioner’s best interests. The bill also requires reimbursement of restitution, fees, and other sums paid in connection with the wrongful conviction, allows access to reentry and support services, excludes the compensation from state taxation, and requires the court to issue a certificate of innocence and order the conviction and arrest records set aside and sealed.
SB 1515 also tightens and clarifies filing and notice procedures. It requires notice of intent to file within 180 days of dismissal, acquittal on retrial, or pardon, but allows good-cause exceptions. The bill gives the court authority to consider the practical difficulties of proving innocence after time has passed, while protecting victims from compelled testimony unless the court finds the testimony relevant and authorizes a subpoena. It also provides appeal procedures and preserves Department of Corrections reentry services for eligible petitioners.
In addition to wrongful-conviction compensation, the bill creates a separate post-conviction relief pathway for convictions based in whole or in part on discredited forensic disciplines: hair microscopy, bite mark analysis/comparison, and comparative bullet lead analysis. A petitioner can obtain relief by showing the conviction substantially relied on those methods and that the result likely would have been different, or, for guilty/no contest pleas, that the discredited evidence was known and materially influenced the plea. The bill applies retroactively to some cases, includes detailed definitions, and sunsets this forensic-science relief provision and related amendments on January 2, 2031.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly supportive, with unanimous or near-unanimous committee votes and large floor majorities in both chambers. The main point of contention is not reflected in transcripts, but the structure of the bill suggests likely concerns about the state’s financial exposure, the burden of proving innocence, the short filing deadlines, and the balance between compensating the wrongfully convicted and protecting victims and finality in criminal cases. The House floor vote was the most divided, indicating some reservations even though the measure ultimately passed and took effect as an emergency law.
SB 1515 amends Oregon’s wrongful-conviction compensation statutes in ORS 30.657 and 30.659 and the post-conviction relief statutes in ORS 138.510 to 138.680. It creates a more detailed compensation process, adds Attorney General review duties, establishes a certificate of innocence and record-sealing requirement, sets payment formulas and tax treatment, and creates a temporary post-conviction remedy for convictions tied to discredited forensic science. The bill affects wrongfully convicted petitioners, victims, prosecutors, the Attorney General, the courts, and the Department of Corrections, and it applies retroactively to some pending and older cases while also setting a 2031 sunset for the forensic-science provisions.
The bill’s legislative history shows broad support. It passed the Senate committee unanimously, passed the Senate floor with only one no vote, passed the House committee unanimously, and then passed the House floor with a comfortable majority despite 15 no votes. The final Senate concurrence was unanimous. That pattern suggests general agreement on the need to improve remedies for wrongful convictions and to address discredited forensic evidence, with only limited opposition or caution.
The likely areas of contention are procedural and fiscal rather than ideological. Critics may have concerns about the state’s liability for large compensation awards, the mandatory certificate of innocence and sealing of records, the two-year and 180-day filing/notice deadlines, and the Attorney General’s gatekeeping role in reviewing claims. The victim-protection provisions, including limits on compelled testimony and special notice requirements, indicate sensitivity to victim concerns, while the forensic-science relief section may raise finality concerns for prosecutors and courts because it opens a new avenue for challenging older convictions based on now-discredited methods.