Ohio AG opposes provision suggested by his office

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says he’ll push for the removal of part of the governor’s budget-revision bill that would make it tough for wrongfully convicted people to get financial compensation if they have prior serious offenses on their records.

DeWine tells The Columbus Dispatch his staff submitted the provision to the governor’s office but says he didn’t approve it beforehand. It was among changes meant to address concerns about people with previous convictions seeking victim-compensation funds.

DeWine says the intention wasn’t to block the pursuit of compensation for a wrongfully convicted person. The state has paid millions of dollars to such individuals in recent years.

A spokesman for Gov. John Kasich says his administration doesn’t oppose changing the language of the provision submitted by DeWine’s office.