House hearing: HB186 would add sixth member to Montana Board of Pardons and Parole to ease heavy caseload

Representative Amy Regier opened the House Judiciary Committee hearing on House Bill 186 by saying the bill "simply increases the number on the Board of Pardons and Parole from 5 to 6 members." She told the committee the change is intended to help the board manage an increased annual caseload that followed statutory changes in 2017.

Why it matters: Proponents said HB186 would give the board flexibility to staff three-member hearing panels, provide vacation relief for panel members and improve timeliness in statutory hearing windows. Supporters said the professionalized parole board now hears many more cases annually and that adding one member would produce meaningful scheduling and operational benefits.

Jimmy Patelis, a current parole-board member, told the committee the board used to be larger before a 2017 professionalization; since then the board has seen a large increase in hearings and scheduling pressure. "It's pretty demanding, when you can imagine sitting through 15 to 20 hearings a day," Patelis said, and he described a roughly 877-per-year increase in hearings when comparing snapshots before and after the 2017 change.

Steven Hurd, chairman of the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, said the board "did 1,700 hearings last year" and described the workload and accreditation work his staff completed. Hurd said the board generally convenes three-member panels for hearings, and that illness, vacation and conflicts of interest can strain scheduling when the pool is only five members.

Brad Neumann, a former state representative, and other supporters said the 2017 Justice Reinvestment Act (Senate Bill 64) professionalized the board and increased annual hearings; they said adding one member would allow the chair greater flexibility in assigning panels and reduce scheduling bottlenecks.

Opponents and informational witnesses raised related concerns and recommendations. Disability Rights Montana facilitated testimony from a patient at the Montana State Hospital who urged that, if the Legislature adds a member, lawmakers should require the board to include a mandatory mental-health professional or otherwise ensure consistent clinical expertise. Board members and legal counsel said current statute prescribes qualifications emphasizing criminal-justice, corrections or legal experience; Judge Brad Newman, speaking about qualifications and training, said continuing education and statutory qualification standards already address relevant expertise, though the Legislature could require mental-health experience by statute if it chose.

Committee members asked practical questions about workload and implementation: how terms would be staggered if the board grows to six members, whether adding a member would change parole outcomes or reduce prison population, and what liability protections board members enjoy. Witnesses explained the bill includes staggered terms (with an initial shorter term on the first new appointment to align cycles), that the board's mission is public safety rather than population management, and that the board is a quasi-judicial body with limited immunity for official actions.

Supporters provided data on hearings and outcomes. The board and proponents cited recent totals of about 1,700 hearings a year (2022: ~1,651; 2023: ~1,813; 2024: ~1,731) and gave breakout statistics for initial appearances and reappearances in 2024 (initial appearances: 502 hearings, 186 granted [37%], 316 denied [63%]; reappearances: 403 hearings, 215 granted [53%], 188 denied [47%]; female hearings and rehearings also given). Jimmy Patelis and other board members emphasized the time required to prepare each case and the variety of case complexity.

Representative Terry Gere closed by asking the committee for a "do pass" recommendation for HB186, describing the request as a "simple ask" to help the board manage its workload.

Ending: The hearing ended without a committee vote recorded in this transcript. Supporters urged the Legislature to add a sixth board member to reduce scheduling pressure and preserve timely hearings; some stakeholders asked consideration of a mental-health professional requirement or statutory authority to provide scheduling flexibility.