Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando, who's keeping his seat while appealing a felony conviction, has filed a bill that would allow a person to seek civil damages if a conviction is based on fabricated evidence.

Siplin's one-page bill (SB 456) would create a cause of action for anyone "whose conviction was based on evidence that was fabricated or deceptively manipulated by any law enforcement agency or state attorney's office."

As drafted, the bill would take effect July 1, 2007. Whether it would be directly applicable to Siplin's case would depend on how long it takes for his appeal to run its course.

More here.