The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill that strives to make parole board votes public.
Senate Bill 5 passed 96-3 in the chamber last week. It is now headed to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk where it is expected to be signed.
It was proposed by State Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County). The bill was drafted in response to controversies from Feb. 2021, in which the board’s former chair was investigated for misconduct.
The parole board carries out risk assessments on prisoners to determine whether they can be safely released into the community.
“Every other board in commission, the General Assembly, City Council, Board of Supervisors, their votes are made public,” Suetterlein says. “The parole board has such significant power over individual liberty and public safety that their votes should be public, too.”
Youngkin appointed all new members to the board when he took office.