BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1506

By: Parker

Corrections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) currently has limited discretion regarding the date on which the BPP is required to reconsider for release an inmate who has previously been denied release. While crime victims are allowed to provide input, the BPP is required to reconsider for release many inmates as soon as practicable after the first anniversary of the date of denial. S.B. 1506 seeks to provide the BPP with more discretion regarding the scheduling of subsequent parole reviews for inmates currently subject to a review as soon as practicable after the first anniversary of the date of denial by revising the requirements for the BPP policy governing the date on which an inmate who has previously been denied release must be reconsidered for release.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1506 amends the Government Code to revise the requirements for the policy governing the timeframe in which an applicable inmate who has previously been denied release must be reconsidered for release by the Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP) under provisions relating to the BPP's authority to consider and order an inmate's release on parole. The bill does the following:

· removes the requirement that the BPP's policy require the BPP to reconsider for release, as soon as practicable after the first anniversary of the date of denial of release, an inmate other than an inmate serving a sentence for an offense that is ineligible for mandatory supervision or serving a sentence for an offense punishable as second degree or third degree felony bodily injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual;

· requires the BPP's policy to require that the BPP reconsider an inmate for release during a month that is designated for reconsideration by the parole panel that denied release;

· establishes that the month designated for reconsideration must begin after the first anniversary of the date of the denial and end before the fifth anniversary of that date; and

· retains the exception provided by current law for inmates serving a sentence for aggravated sexual assault or a life sentence for a capital felony.

S.B. 1506 applies to any inmate who is confined in a facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on or after the bill's effective date, regardless of whether the offense for which the inmate is confined occurred before, on, or after the bill's effective date. The bill requires the BPP, as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date, to adopt a policy consistent with provisions relating to the BPP's authority to consider and order an inmate's release on parole, as amended by the bill.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.