Douglass Haynie served 32 years in prison for a murder he maintains that he did not commit. Now because of Maryland lawmakers, he’s one step closer to potentially receiving compensation.

The Maryland General Assembly has passed a bill that makes changes to the parole process.

The legislation includes language that prohibits counties from being a party when people seek compensation under the Walter Lomax Act, which established a standardized process for paying people who’ve been wrongfully convicted of crimes. The provision is retroactive.

The bill now goes to Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, for his signature.

Though the legislation specifically helps her client, Kristen Mack, Haynie’s attorney, said it is one of the more important bills in a long time for current and future exonerees who are seeking compensation.

Mack said she believes the question about whether counties could be a party in these cases might have gone to the Maryland Supreme Court had lawmakers failed to act. The appeals process takes a long time, and it’s unclear how the justices would have ruled, she said.

If counties were allowed to be parties in these cases, Mack said, that would have rendered the law “pretty pointless in practice.” That’s because they’d be incentivized to act like insurance companies, she said.

“They’re going to fight it, if there’s any chance at all they might not have to pay the compensation,” Mack said.

Here’s why the measure matters in Haynie’s case:

In 1993, Haynie was found guilty of felony murder and related crimes in Worcester County Circuit Court in the fatal shooting of Anthony Cannon in Snow Hill and was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole — plus 20 years.

But it eventually came to light that Joseph Kopera, the firearms and toolmarks examiner for the Maryland State Police who testified at trial, falsified his credentials and offered opinions that were no longer admissible in court.

Based on that new information, Haynie, now 63, of Baltimore, asked a judge to throw out his convictions.

Prosecutors conceded that the ballistics testimony was the cornerstone of their case and stated that ethics and justice required them to drop the charges. Haynie was released in 2025.

Worcester County State’s Attorney Kristin Heiser did not take a position on Haynie’s request for compensation. But the Worcester County Board of Commissioners hired outside attorneys who contested almost every aspect of the petition including his innocence.

Administrative Law Judge Susan Sinrod allowed the Worcester County commissioners to intervene in the case after finding they had a financial interest that wasn’t adequately being represented.

Haynie is only seeking compensation for about 12 years he spent in prison. He served 20 years for an unrelated armed robbery — a crime he also maintains he did not commit.

Maryland used to solely be responsible for paying people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes. A provision in one of the budget bills in 2025 requires counties to now cover half of any amount, even though voters independently elect state’s attorneys.

Del. Mike Griffith, a Republican who represents Cecil and Harford counties, sponsored legislation to reverse that change.

“Counties have no role in prosecutions, appeals or compensation decisions, yet they are required to fund half of the cost” Griffith testified last month in the House Judiciary Committee. “This creates a fundamental mismatch: The state controls the process, but the counties receive the bill.”

The Maryland Association of Counties supported the proposal.

The bill did not make it out of committee.

In a statement, Ted Elder, president of the Worcester County Board of Commissioners, said lawmakers amended the legislation that prevents counties from being a party in these cases seemingly in response to Haynie and after public comment had closed.

“While wrongfully convicted individuals should receive fair compensation, that compensation should come from the State, which is responsible for the criminal justice system,” Elder said.

The late changes to the measure, he said, raise “serious ethical concerns regarding fair and transparent lawmaking.”