Subcommittee carries over bill tying release readiness to education or trade credentials

House Bill 11 62, presented by Delegate Walker, would strengthen reentry planning by requiring inmates to complete either a high‑school equivalency credential or a vocational/trade certification before release and by expanding annual classification reviews to include progress in education, job assignments and programming.

Delegate Walker said the bill is aimed at preparing people "for the outside world, not simply putting them through the system." DOC operations staff said the agency currently provides reentry plans but questioned whether existing infrastructure and program capacity across older facilities would support a universal pre‑release completion requirement. Marcus Seelom, operations administrator for DOC, told the committee that some facilities (he cited Bland Correctional Center as an example) would need substantial upgrades to run vocational programs broadly.

Public witnesses raised practical concerns. Tina Ramsey, a former corrections officer, opposed the bill as written because it does not account for inmates transferred while mid‑program or those who are wait‑listed and therefore cannot complete required elements before review. Given those capacity and drafting concerns, committee members moved to carry HB 11 62 over to the 2027 session to allow further stakeholder work.

Next steps: the bill was carried under Rule 22 to 2027 for additional drafting and input from DOC and other stakeholders.