Alabama committee amends HB 523 to guarantee equal speaking time per parole advocate

The Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee amended and gave a favorable report to HB 523 on a voice vote after rewording how speaking time is allocated at parole hearings.

Representative Hassell presented HB 523 to the committee, saying the bill "further provide[s] the parole hearing proceedings" by ensuring both proponents and opponents receive equal allotments of time and "authorize[ing] non lawyers to speak at a hearing." Hassell said the bill's intent is fairness: "It's fair to both sides."

The bill originally directed that the board allocate 50% of the available time to advocates for parole and 50% to advocates against parole. Committee discussion raised concerns that the 50/50 phrasing could unintentionally expand hearings when one side had many more speakers. Representative Moore proposed an on-the-floor amendment to replace the 50/50 language with a requirement that the board "allocate an equal amount of time to hear from individual advocates for or against parole." Moore moved the amendment and Representative Lance seconded it.

Representative Morgan asked how the rule would work if one side had many more speakers than the other, saying, "What happens if 1 side has more than the other?" Representative Wilcox, chair of the committee, explained that the chair of a hearing often exercises discretion to adjust per-person time so the board can complete hearings in a day, saying, "I generally tell everybody they have 3 minutes to talk, but then if we have so many people sign up, it's in my interest as a chair to make sure that everybody gets an opportunity to talk." Committee members discussed preserving per-person parity while retaining flexibility for the hearing chair to shorten individual time if large crowds attend.

Representative Bracy praised the committee's work in reshaping the bill, saying, "I really like what happened this morning ... this is gonna make the bill a great deal." After debate the committee approved Moore's amendment by voice vote. Representative Robbins moved that the committee give the bill a favorable report as amended; Representative Lawrence seconded. The committee approved the bill as amended by voice vote and reported it favorably.

The amended language directs the board to give each individual advocate an equal amount of time to speak for or against parole but leaves details about how long each person may speak to the board's rules and the hearing chair's discretion. The bill text, as amended, also clarifies that nonlawyers may speak at hearings.

Votes at a glance: the committee adopted the amendment and gave HB 523 a favorable report as amended; both actions passed on voice votes and no recorded roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript.

The committee did not set a specific per-person time in the amended text; committee members discussed common practices (three-minute allocations by committee chairs) and the need for flexibility when large numbers of speakers attend.

Next steps: HB 523 was given a favorable committee report and may proceed through further legislative process according to House rules.