Quartet of payments comprise claims bill that clears House

Each year, a Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Claims decides which claims against the state should be funded.

This year’s proposal calls for nearly $72,381 in fiscal year 2026 payments, including $65,000 to the estate of Vincent Beaulieu which sought relief under the Imprisonment and Exoneration Remedies Act which provides a compensation process for cases where a person was exonerated of a felony for which they were wrongfully incarcerated.

Beaulieu spent 246 days in prison after pleading guilty to 5th-degree controlled substance possession. Lab results later determined the substance was not a controlled substance and Beaulieu’s conviction was vacated.

Sponsored by Rep. Luke Frederick (DFL-Mankato) and Sen. Doron Clark (DFL-Mpls), HF3247/SF3446* was passed 133-0 by the House Wednesday and sent to the governor. It was passed 66-1 by the Senate May 8.

The bill also contains payments related to personal injury claims against the Department of Corrections: $6,531.25 to Victor Lynch, who sustained permanent injuries to his left hand while performing assigned duties at the Stillwater prison, and $849.86 to reimburse the department for claims under $7,000 and other claims already paid by the department between April 2023 and April 2025 for injuries under the community work service or sentence-to-service programs. There are two claims.