Pardon and Parole Board; authorizing the Pardon and Parole Board to employ alternate members; establishing compensation; effective date.
Summary
HB1968 changes the structure and compensation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. The bill provides that, on its effective date, board members are to be treated as regular full-time, salaried employees of the board. It also sets the chair’s annual salary at $24,800 and the other members’ annual salary at $85,000, with the monthly pay broken into amounts tied to preparation for meetings and attendance at regular board meetings.
The bill also adds attendance-based penalties and removal provisions. A member who misses one board meeting in a calendar year without a justifiable excuse loses monthly compensation for that month, and a member who misses two or more meetings may be deemed to have committed official misconduct and may be removed through a board resolution and the procedures in state law. The bill further states that failure to attend board meetings under the board’s policy constitutes cause for removal under the Oklahoma Constitution. The act is set to take effect November 1, 2025.
Impact
HB1968 would amend 57 O.S. 2021, Section 332.4, changing the legal status and pay structure of Pardon and Parole Board members and adding explicit statutory consequences for nonattendance. It affects the board, its chair, and its members by converting them to salaried full-time employees, establishing new compensation levels, and creating a formal process for withholding pay and initiating removal for repeated absences. It also ties board attendance to official misconduct and constitutional cause for removal, potentially strengthening accountability and attendance enforcement.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have generally favorable support in the legislative process, advancing through subcommittee and full committee with strong votes and passing the House on third reading by a clear margin. The available record does not include committee debate transcripts, so there is no direct discussion of arguments for or against the measure. The vote pattern suggests broad agreement, though the final House vote shows some opposition, indicating at least a minority of members had reservations.
Contention
The main points of contention likely concern the substantial increase and restructuring of compensation, the move to full-time salaried status, and the strict attendance-based penalties that can lead to loss of pay or removal from office. Potential concerns would center on whether the salary level is appropriate, whether the board should be treated as full-time employees, and whether the removal provisions give the chair and board too much discretion in determining justifiable excuses or extraordinary circumstances. The recorded votes show some opposition at third reading, but no transcript is available to identify specific lawmakers or objections.
Confidential records; requiring certain victim photographs submitted to the Pardon and Parole Board be kept confidential; clemency; Open Records Act; clemency hearing packets; effective date.
School district boards of education; modifying exception to certain prohibition on certain relationships between board members and school district employees. Effective date. Emergency.