I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2095 
To authorize grants for programs that provide support services to exonerees. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 23, 2009 
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. RUSH, and Mrs. 
CHRISTENSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To authorize grants for programs that provide support 
services to exonerees. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restitution for the Ex-
onerated Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
(a) EXONEREE SERVICES GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 
The Attorney General may award grants to eligible organi-
zations to carry out programs that provide support serv-
ices to exonerees. 
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(b) GRANT
PERIOD; RENEWABILITY.—A grant 
awarded under this section shall be for a period of one 
year, and may be renewed for subsequent one-year periods 
as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate. 
(c) SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS.—The Attorney General 
may provide to an eligible organization awarded funds 
under a grant under subsection (a) for a period described 
in subsection (b), additional funds under such grant dur-
ing such period if the Attorney General determines that 
the organization has need for such additional funds, such 
as in the case that the number of exonerees entering the 
population served by such organization is greater than 
such number expected by the organization. 
SEC. 3. GRANT USES. 
(a) ACTIVITIES.—A grant awarded under this Act to 
an eligible organization shall be used only— 
(1) to carry out a program that provides and 
coordinates the delivery of support services for 
exonerees, including— 
(A) employment training; 
(B) vocational training; 
(C) education; 
(D) health care services; 
(E) mental health services; 
(F) housing assistance; 
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(G) substance abuse training; 
(H) legal assistance; 
(I) children and family support; and 
(J) other appropriate services, as deter-
mined by the Attorney General; and 
(2) for administrative expenses necessary to 
carry out the program described in paragraph (1), 
including staff salaries and training. 
(b) LIMITATIONS.—A grant awarded under this Act 
may not be used to provide support services— 
(1) to an exoneree who has not demonstrated fi-
nancial need for such services; or 
(2) for a period of more than 24 months for 
any exoneree. 
SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To request a grant under this 
Act, an eligible organization shall submit to the Attorney 
General an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Attorney General may 
require. Such application shall— 
(1) describe the program to be funded by the 
grant, and the need for such program; 
(2) describe a long-term strategy and detailed 
implementation for such program; 
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(3) identify the governmental and community 
agencies with which the program will collaborate, 
and that the program will utilize to enhance 
exoneree services; and 
(4) describe the methodology and outcome 
measures that will be used to evaluate the effective-
ness of such program. 
(b) APPLICATION DEADLINES.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall solicit and review applications for grants under 
this Act at least once during each 6-month period. 
(c) PRIORITY BASED ON NEED.—In awarding grants 
under this Act, the Attorney General shall give priority 
to eligible organizations that serve geographic regions that 
have the greatest need for exoneree support services, as 
determined by the Attorney General. 
SEC. 5. REPORTS. 
For each year in which an eligible organization re-
ceives a grant under this Act, the eligible organization 
shall submit a report to the Attorney General that de-
scribes the program carried out by the organization with 
such grant, and evaluates the effectiveness of such pro-
gram during such year. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble organization’’ means any nonprofit organization 
that— 
(A) has experience and expertise in coordi-
nating and delivering support services specific 
to the needs of exonerees; or 
(B) demonstrates the capacity to effec-
tively coordinate and deliver such support serv-
ices, as determined by the Attorney General. 
(2) EXONEREE.—The term ‘‘exoneree’’ means 
an individual who— 
(A) has been convicted by a Federal or 
State court of an offense that is punishable by 
a term of imprisonment that is equal to or 
greater than one year; 
(B) has served a term of imprisonment of 
at least 6 months in a Federal or State prison 
or other correctional facility as a result of such 
conviction; and 
(C) has been determined to be factually in-
nocent of such offense. 
(3) FACTUALLY INNOCENT.—The term ‘‘factu-
ally innocent’’ means, with respect to an individual 
who has been convicted of an offense described in 
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paragraph (2)(A), one or more of the following has 
occurred: 
(A) A court has issued a factual finding of 
innocence. 
(B) The Governor of the State in which 
the individual was convicted or the President, 
as applicable, has issued a pardon based on the 
facts of the offense for which the individual was 
convicted. 
(C) A court has vacated or reversed the 
conviction based on legal insufficiency of the 
evidence or other factual finding of actual inno-
cence, and the Federal, State, or local govern-
ment has dismissed the accusatory instrument. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 
through 2014. Amounts authorized under this section 
shall remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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