Committee advances measure to streamline governor review of juvenile/young‑adult parole recommendations

The Senate Judiciary Committee on April 13 approved an amendment to Senate Bill 158 that sets a 60‑day deadline for the governor to act on parole‑board recommendations for individuals who complete the juvenile and young‑adult specialized release program. If the governor does not act within 60 days, the parole board’s recommendation becomes final.

Sponsors said the provision addresses bottlenecks and unpredictability experienced by applicants and victims when decisions remained pending on the governor’s desk. DOC officials backed the procedural fix and supported a narrow program addition: a required victim‑impact and trauma‑reflection curriculum for participants to strengthen reentry outcomes.

Committee action: The bill passed to the Committee of the Whole by a 5–2 vote; sponsors said only a relatively small number of individuals (dozens rather than hundreds) are affected by the change, and that the measure preserves existing exclusions such as life‑without‑parole cases.

Next steps: The bill will be considered by the full Senate; supporters said the change aims to expedite decisions for program completers without changing the substantive parole criteria.