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Parole Board urges restoration of a filled secretary position, warns of slower hearings if cut
Summary
Adult Parole Board chair Roger Phillips told the committee that a full-time Secretary II position scheduled for elimination would meaningfully slow parole and revocation processing and jeopardize audit-driven reforms; the board asked the committee to restore the position’s funding.
The New Hampshire Adult Parole Board asked the Finance Committee to reinstate funding for a filled Secretary II position that the governor’s target budget would eliminate, Chairperson Roger Phillips told the committee.
Why it matters: The board said the position supports scheduling, vetting housing plans for people approved for parole, and managing other administrative tasks that keep weekly parole and revocation dockets moving. The board warned that cutting the position would slow hearings and case processing, with downstream effects on timely parole decisions and revocation reviews.
What the board said: Phillips said the office is small — six staff members (five full-time and one part-time) — and that the Secretary II post performs essential functions including sending housing plans to Department of Corrections field services and receiving their reports back for release planning. He said the board’s caseload requires preparation for hearings often involving 90–100 pages of pre-hearing material per case.
Organizational detail: The board presented two organizational charts — one with and one without the Secretary II position — and estimated that eliminating the full-time filled slot would reduce the office workforce by roughly 17% while leaving the office with insufficient operational capacity. The board said it had already considered reducing a part‑time role but could not meet the governor’s target savings that way without sacrificing all non‑salary operating lines.
Board compensation: The packet reviewed by the committee shows annual stipends for board members (the chair and vice chair at higher levels and other members at specified stipends); the board said stipends account for much of its part‑time compensation line and are budgeted separately from staff salaries.
Board request and rationale: Phillips asked the committee to reinstate the filled Secretary II position in the FY26–27 budget. He said the role was created in response to the Legislative Budget Audit office recommendations and that losing the staff member would hamper the board’s efforts at evidence-based decision workflows and timely handling of revocation and parole hearings.
Next steps: Committee members asked clarifying questions about workload and the degree to which the position’s duties could be redistributed. The board said other staff would step in temporarily but warned of a demonstrable slowdown if the position is removed from the funded complement.
