By Haley Kosik/WJEZ News

The payback for a wrongful conviction could include eight semesters of college tuition.

A bill passed by the legislature makes this possible.

With a then-governor emptying Death Row (2003) and Illinois eventually outlawing capital punishment (2011), the state has had a sorry history with wrongful convictions.

“About $26 million a year has been paid out to people who have been exonerated.” They also have the right to sue the state,” said State Rep. Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon).

The question opponents should ask, said another lawmaker, is how Illinois can do a better job of convicting and imprisoning the correct people in the first place.

The bill heads to Governor Bruce Rauner for action.