Pardon and Parole Board; increasing compensation for members of the Board; and providing an effective date.
Summary
HB3351 amends the statute governing the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s compensation and attendance rules. The bill removes the current separate compensation structure for the Board chair and replaces it with a higher, uniform annual compensation amount for Board members, paid monthly. It also preserves the monthly meeting-preparation and meeting-attendance allotments, while revising the dollar amounts associated with those payments.
The bill also strengthens attendance-related accountability provisions. Under the measure, a member who misses one Board meeting in a calendar year without a justifiable excuse loses that month’s compensation, and a member who misses two or more meetings without extraordinary circumstances may be deemed to have committed official misconduct and be subject to removal procedures. 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 would take effect November 1, 2026.
Impact
HB3351 would directly amend 57 O.S. 2021, Section 332.4, which governs selection and compensation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. It changes the compensation framework for Board service, eliminates the chair’s separate pay treatment, and increases the annual compensation for members, while also tying compensation and continued service more explicitly to attendance. The bill affects the Board members themselves and the statutory procedures that govern their pay, misconduct, and removal.
Sentiment
Based on the available context, the bill appears to be procedural and administrative rather than controversial in the record provided. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes showing debate, support, or opposition, and the bill was referred to the Appropriations and Budget Judiciary Subcommittee. The overall tone of the measure is one of updating compensation and enforcing attendance expectations for a state board.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the substantial increase in compensation for Board members and the elimination of the chair’s distinct compensation structure, which could raise budgetary or fairness questions. Another possible issue is the stricter enforcement of attendance requirements, including loss of pay, official misconduct findings, and removal for repeated absences. No specific objections or supporters are identified in the available materials, so these concerns are inferred from the bill’s provisions rather than documented debate.
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.