House approves sentencing 'truth in sentencing' package after debate over mandatory minima
Loading...
Summary
House Committee Substitutes for House Bills 26‑37 and 31‑55 passed after lawmakers argued whether the measures merely clarify credit and parole‑eligibility or effectively increase mandatory minimum time served for some offenses.
The House voted to approve committee substitutes for House Bills 26‑37 and 31‑55, a package described by supporters as increasing transparency in sentencing by clarifying parole‑eligibility and credit for time served. Sponsor remarks emphasized better clarity for victims, judges and defendants about the minimum time before parole eligibility.
Critics said provisions functionally raise the percentage of time certain defendants must serve (for example, from roughly 15% to 25% for some lower grade offenses) and argued the bills could increase mandatory minimums and expand the population required to serve longer terms. The gentleman from Boone described the measure as "an increase in sentencing" rather than a pure transparency bill and urged colleagues to vote against it unless carve‑outs were added.
Proponents, including criminal justice stakeholders who testified in committee, said the bills consolidate time‑served calculations and allow courts to pronounce time‑served credit at sentencing, improving predictability.
On third reading the House passed the committee substitutes by recorded vote, with the clerk announcing 102 yeas, 45 nays and 2 present.
The bills will move to the subsequent legislative stages.
