AUSTIN - A bill named after the late Timothy Cole is almost ready to go to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for his signature.

The Texas Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved House Bill 48, a measure that would create the Timothy Cole Exoneration Review Commission.

The 11-member panel would review wrongful convictions to determine what went wrong and then make recommendations aimed at avoiding miscarriages of justice like the one that sent Cole to prison.

Cole, a Texas Tech student, was convicted of a rape he did not commit and died in prison in 1999, 14 years after his conviction.

Since the Senate made minor changes to HB 48, the measure goes back to the House of Representatives for final approval. It is expected to pass again in the lower chamber because it received a 138-3 vote on May 1.

"Texas takes away the liberty of more citizens through incarceration than any other state in this nation," Sen. Rodney Ellis, the Senate sponsor of HB 48, said after the measure passed in the upper chamber.

"With that power comes the responsibility to make sure we are locking up only the guilty, protecting the innocent, and continuing to make our justice system as reliable, fair, and effective as possible," Ellis, D-Houston, said.

The measure has been filed since the early 2000s only to see it fail in the final days of each session.

Sen. Charles Perry said before the vote the bill is needed to bring "a little more closure to an unfortunate incident that happened.

"It was a good thing for Lubbock to step up and recognize that a mistake had been made," Perry, R-Lubbock, said.

"I think that raises a lot of awareness that if we are going to have a capital punishment-type of process and incarceration of people, we need to do everything we can to make sure we get the right people," Perry added. "That's why I am very supportive of this initiative."

Ellis said he will work with San Antonio Democratic Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, the bill's author, to make sure the measure passes as soon as possible.

"I look forward to putting the final touches on the bill to ensure it heads to Governor Abbott," Ellis said.

The 140-day session ends Monday.

enrique.rangel@morris.com

(512) 673-7553