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Parole commissioners ask legislature to raise pay as commission faces turnover and heavy prep time
Summary
The Commission of Pardons and Parole requested statutory pay increases for commissioners, arguing current compensation (last raised in 2017) does not cover unpaid preparation and training time and is contributing to turnover; the governor recommended the pay increase contingent on legislation.
The Idaho Commission of Pardons and Parole asked lawmakers on Feb. 4 for a statutory increase in commissioner pay and described staff turnover and uncompensated workload that agency leaders said is eroding institutional experience.
What was requested: Agency analyst Noah Peterson said the commission is requesting the statutory pay be increased from $300 to $400 per hearing day; Peterson explained the enhancement would require legislative change. The governor recommended the increase conditional on passage of the necessary legislation, with an identified fiscal impact of $59,300 (as constrained by DFM growth ceilings in the agency’s formal request).
Workload and turnover: Executive Director Christine Starr, who had been in her position about three months at the hearing, told the committee commissioners typically hold hearings three weeks out of each month year‑round and are paid only for hearing days. Starr said commissioners are not compensated for preparatory work and training and warned the commission faces the loss of more than half its membership by year‑end. She gave calculations showing commissioners typically prepare several days of unpaid work for every week of hearings: “they're actually putting in 26 hours of preparation for the 5 days of hearings that they have, which comes out to about 3.25 days that they're not compensated for,” Starr said.
Why lawmakers asked: Representative Manwaring asked how many hearing days are scheduled annually and was told commissioners conduct hearings three weeks of every month. Senator Wintrow noted the commissioners are not paid for prep time and suggested the legislature consider whether compensation and structure align with the importance of the decisions commissioners make.
Governor’s recommendation and next steps: The governor recommended the pay increase if supported by legislation; agency materials noted commissioners last received an increase in 2017 and that the agency processes roughly 6,670 decisions in the most recent fiscal year (versus 5,907 decisions in 2017). The director said she will review commission models and work to strengthen processes, transparency and training as turnover occurs.
Taper: Committee members thanked agency leaders and asked for follow‑up information on workload and potential statutory language to support any pay change.
