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Appropriations panel reviews H.559 to fund parole-board legal counsel pilot
Summary
The House Appropriations Committee reviewed H.559 on March 9, a bill to expand parole board training, adjust board composition, and fund a one-year external legal counsel pilot in FY27 with $75,000 ($25,000 carryforward plus a proposed $50,000 appropriation). Members asked questions about timing, funding sources and conflict-of-interest concerns; no vote was taken.
The House Appropriations Committee on March 9 took up H.559, a bill that would expand training and change the composition of the state parole board and create a one‑year pilot to fund external legal counsel for the board.
Legislative staff summarized the measure as focusing on four areas "with respect to the parole board," including expanded training and a pilot providing outside attorneys to advise the board and deliver due‑process training. "It authorizes more training for parole board members," staff told the committee, emphasizing the bill does not change who is eligible for parole.
Supporters and fiscal staff told the committee the pilot is intended to address potential conflicts when Department of Corrections attorneys provide both operational advice and hearing‑specific counsel. Committee staff explained that DOC lawyers and assistant…
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