Committee considers changes to Clemency Review Commission to reduce backlog; proposal for three‑member prescreening panel draws debate

Senator Pappas brought Senate File 46‑16 to the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on March 27 with an A3 amendment intended to address the Clemency Review Commission’s growing backlog and resource needs. "The creation of the Clemency Review Commission has improved our clemency system," said Carly Stark, the commission’s executive director. Stark told the committee the CRC has six full‑time staff and received 401 applications in its first full year (a 152% increase from 2023); with current resources the CRC could provide recommendations for 164 applications and projects a backlog exceeding 1,500 applications by 2032 without policy or resource changes.

Stark laid out five policy proposals included in the amendment: allowing confidential written victim statements regardless of protective order status; changing record‑sealing rules so the CRC can share information when an applicant requests it; permitting three‑member panels to prescreen and recommend denial without a full hearing in low‑merit cases; creating limited expedited grants for narrowly defined cases; and allowing the governor to ask the board of pardons to hear an application without going through the CRC hearing when time‑sensitive review is necessary. Stark described the three‑member prescreening as a way to save victim retraumatization and administrative resources while preserving the board’s ultimate authority.

Senator Holmstrom offered an amendment to remove lines permitting the three‑member panel to recommend grant without a hearing; opponents said the change would preserve public transparency, supporters said prescreening is an efficiency tool for low‑merit matters. Carly Stark clarified that any expedited criteria would be defined by rulemaking and that ultimate authority to grant remains with the board. The motion to strike the prescreening language was defeated; the committee retained the A3 changes and ultimately laid the bill over for possible inclusion, with staff and counsel to refine statutory language and intent.

Next steps: the committee adopted the A3 amendment and laid SF 46‑16 over for possible inclusion; additional drafting changes may be made as the bill moves forward.