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Committee Hears Bill to Add Sixth Member to Montana Parole Board
Summary
House Bill 186 would increase the Board of Pardons and Parole from five to six members to address growing caseloads and scheduling inflexibility; supporters cited an increase in hearings and a roughly $125,000 annual fiscal impact, while disability advocates asked for a mandatory mental-health seat.
Chair Amy Regier opened the Committee’s hearing on House Bill 186, saying simply: "House Bill 186 simply increases the number on the Board of Pardons and Parole from 5 to 6 members." Supporters told the committee the change would provide scheduling flexibility and help staff get leave while continuing timely hearings.
Jimmy Patelis, a pro-board stakeholder, described statutory changes and caseload shifts since 2017 that have increased hearings, saying his snapshot analysis showed an increase averaging roughly 877 hearings per year after statute changes. Brad Neumann, a current parole board member and former judge, testified in support and noted a fiscal note estimating an annual impact in the neighborhood of $125,000.
Steven Hurd, chair of the Parole Board, urged passage to relieve workload pressure: "We did 1,700 hearings last year," he said, describing frequent paneling needs, accreditation work and staff strain. Board representatives and proponents argued a sixth member would allow the chair more flexibility to assemble three-person panels while preserving institutional continuity and allowing staff vacations.
Opponents and witnesses online raised other concerns. Krista Gabriel of Disability Rights Montana facilitated testimony from a patient at the Montana State Hospital who urged the committee to require a mental-health professional as a mandatory board member rather than just a consideration. Committee members questioned how a new seat would be staggered into existing six-year terms, liability protections for board members, and whether additional statutory guardrails or administrative adjustments could reduce workload demand.
DOC Deputy Director Eric Strauss described DOC’s administrative attachment to the board and said DOC prepared the fiscal note; he and board members explained existing paneling rules and responses to implementation questions. Committee members asked for more accessible up-to-date data on parole-board statistics; witnesses provided multi-year hearing and grant/deny data for 2022–2024 during questioning.
The sponsor asked for a due pass at the close of the hearing. Committee members did not take a final vote on HB186 during the session.
