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A man who spent nearly 22 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit would receive $1.2 million from the state under a resolution passed by a key Georgia House committee Monday.

Willie Otis "Pete" Williams, 46, was freed from prison in January 2007 after DNA tests conducted on behalf of the Georgia Innocence Project indicated he did not commit the rape for which he was imprisoned in 1985.

The House Appropriations Committee approved a resolution from Rep. Steve Tumlin (R-Marietta) that would give Williams a $100,000 lump sum payment and the balance of the $1.2 million in yearly payments over 20 years.

Tumlin said the payments were meant to compensate Williams for the wages and other potential benefits he lost while serving time in prison.

Williams was 23 when he was convicted on eyewitness testimony from the victim of a Sandy Springs rape. Another man is now being prosecuted for the crime.

"Losing your 20s, 30s and early 40s," Tumlin said. "Think about that if it were you."

Some members of the appropriations committee asked pointed questions about the Williams resolution.

For instance, some of them asked if Williams would continue getting the annual payments if he wound up back in prison.

"The DNA says he didn't do this crime. My concern is ... what if he were to go back to prison, are we still on the hook?" asked Rep. Carl Rogers (R-Gainesville).

Tumlin said Williams has not been in trouble with the law since being released. He said Williams would continue receiving the money because the payments are meant to compensate him for his time in prison on the rape conviction.

Rep. Jeff Lewis (R-White), a member of the committee, voted against giving Williams the money. Lewis said he always votes against such resolutions.

"We're not a courtroom here," Lewis said. "He may deserve it, but how do I know that?"

Williams, who works as a painter at an apartment complex, was working on Monday and did not attend the meeting. Through a spokeswoman, Williams said he was "grateful to the committee. If it goes all the way through, this will really help out."

The resolution must still be approved by the full House and Senate, but the appropriations committee's approval makes it likely Williams will be compensated.