A pair of bills on the use of DNA in criminal cases passed Pennsylvania's House of Representatives on Wednesday and a set of mirror bills are in the Senate for consideration. The bills are sponsored by state Rep. Tedd Nesbit, R-8th, who drafted them with the help of a nonprofit group called the Innocence Project.

According to the Innocence Project's Pennsylvania branch, “Eleven people convicted of serious crimes have been released from Pennsylvania prisons after DNA testing proved their innocence.”

House Bill 2307 would allow people who have been convicted to present new evidence to challenge their conviction and would also increase the amount of time someone has to present DNA-related evidence from the current 60 days to one year.

The second bill, House Bill 2308, would remove the requirement that anyone who wants to prove their innocence has to be someone who is currently imprisoned or awaiting execution.

This is an excerpt — read more about the bills in Monday's Butler Eagle.