HB 529 Kentucky House · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to the Parole Board and declaring an emergency.

Summary
Amend KRS 439.320 to establish a term of 4 years for members of the Parole Board; allow the Governor to extend a term not more than 1 year if the expiration of the term causes more than 2 terms to expire in the same calendar year; allow the board to utilize panels of 2 or more members for parole and final parole revocation hearings; amend KRS 439.340 to change the time for parole review eligibility to 180 or more days to serve.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 30, 2026 Signed Apr 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Current/Final · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill updates the Kentucky Parole Board's structure and rules to improve transparency and fairness. It adds an emergency clause to allow immediate implementation, requires staggered terms for board members to prevent political turnover, and expands the types of crimes eligible for parole hearings. The changes also clarify how panel decisions are made and strengthen protections for board members against removal.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include an emergency declaration for immediate effect and broadened eligibility for parole hearings to include specific Class C and Class D felonies previously excluded.
TIMELINE

Added a declaration of emergency to the act, allowing it to take effect immediately without waiting for the standard legislative session end.

REQUIREMENT

Changed board member terms from fixed four-year terms to staggered terms, ensuring that no more than three terms expire in any single year to maintain board stability.

Clarified the rules for panel decisions, stating that if a panel cannot reach the required agreement, the matter must be referred to the full board.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the board's authority to hold parole hearings for prisoners convicted of Class C felonies (excluding violent offenders) and Class D felonies (excluding sex crimes).

ENFORCEMENT

Strengthened removal procedures for board members by requiring the Governor to file a complete statement of charges and findings with the Secretary of State upon removal.

Floor votes · House Feb 18, 2026

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
21
Key actions
8
Committee
6
Amendments
1
Apr 7, 2026
Signed into law
signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 46)
lower
Mar 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
lower
Mar 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 38-0
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
passed over and retained in the Consent Orders of the Day
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Committee
to Judiciary (S)
upper
Feb 19, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
3rd reading, passed 99-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Feb 13, 2026
Introduced
floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
lower
Feb 6, 2026
Committee
to Judiciary (H)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Jan 30, 2026
Introduced
introduced in House
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.