Panel backs bill to speed interstate extraditions by recognizing presigned waivers and extending hold period

A legislative committee on Wednesday discussed S.87, a bill the governor’s office proposed to amend Vermont’s extradition rules to speed the interstate return of people accused or convicted elsewhere.

Provisions in the bill would lengthen the time a person can be held while extradition paperwork proceeds from 30 days to 120 days and would allow law enforcement to deliver a person to a demanding state without a governor’s warrant if an authenticated, presigned waiver of extradition applies (for example, as a condition of probation, parole or bail).

Why it matters: Supporters said the change would reduce administrative burdens on prosecutors, sheriffs and courts and shorten the time fugitives remain in custody while agencies in different states exchange paperwork. Opponents and some legislators asked for safeguards about honoring out-of-state laws that Vermont does not criminalize.

Michelle Childs of the Office of Legislative Council opened the committee discussion by noting the statutory framework is old and sometimes “archaic,” and she described three layers that govern extradition: the U.S. Constitution’s Extradition Clause, a federal implementing statute, and the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act adopted by most states.

Kim McMullis of the Department of State’s…