Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parole Board Compensation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves moving parole-board pay to budget control, citing heavy workload
Summary
Lawmakers voted to report House Bill 171, which would remove fixed statutory pay for the Committee on Parole and allow compensation to be set in the budget; witnesses described the board’s heavy caseload and training obligations.
House Bill 171, carried by Representative Coates, would remove the statutory compensation schedule for the Committee on Parole and instead let pay be provided through the state budget. The Criminal Justice Committee voted to report the bill favorably after executive‑director testimony about the board’s workload and training requirements.
Francis Abbott, executive director of the Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole, told the committee the board conducts hundreds of public hearings annually and oversees parole and commutation cases statewide. He said board members must complete 40 hours of training before sitting on panels and participate in ongoing in‑service training. Abbott described caseloads that include public pardon applications, commutations, parole hearings and thousands of modifications to parole conditions.
Representative Coates said the bill is intended to allow the Legislature and budget process to set appropriate compensation rather than fixing pay in statute. Committee members, including Representative Walters, said they regularly watch parole hearings and view the board’s responsibilities as demanding. The committee moved HB 171 out with no objections.
The bill changes how compensation is managed — from fixed statutory language to budgetary control — and does not change the board’s duties or qualifications. If enacted, the Legislature would set board compensation through the annual budget process.
