Virginia Senate passes parole board reform, some election bills

(The Center Square) – The Virginia Senate passed legislation to increase transparency for the Virginia Parole Board and some election-related bills on floor votes late Monday afternoon.

Senate Bill 1103, sponsored by Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke, makes individual votes from parole board members publicly available by making them subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The bill will allow the public to know whether a person on the board voted for or against someone’s parole. It passed with substantial bipartisan support 33-6.

The legislation will now head to the House of Delegates where it will have to go through the committee process before being voted on the House floor.

Parole board reform became a top priority after accusations from the Office of the State Inspector General were made public. In a report, the office accused the board of violating state laws and its own policies so criminals could be more easily released on parole. This includes the release of Vincent Martin, who was convicted of killing a police officer in 1979.

According to the report, the board did not keep proper meeting records and did not properly notify individuals who were expected to provide testimony against granting inmates parole. The parole board denied the accusations and said it had properly followed the law and its policies.

Another bill that passed the Senate would require the parole board to notify the victim of a crime within seven days of making a decision regarding the parole of the prisoner who was convicted of a crime involving the victim. The legislation, Senate Bill 1125, sponsored by Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, passed the chamber unanimously without contest.

The chamber also advanced election-related bills, including Senate Bill 1245, which would allow voters to correct errors on their absentee ballots after they had already been dropped off. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, passed the chamber 21-18 with support from Democrats and opposition from Republicans.

Deed’s legislation would require the general registrars to notify a voter if his or her absentee ballot contains errors or misses necessary information for the vote to be counted. The voter would have until noon on the third day after the election to correct any changes. The bill also requires every polling location to set up a drop-off box on election day.

Senate Bill 1331, an election-related bill sponsored by Del. Bryce Reeves, R-Fredericksburg, passed the chamber unanimously without contest. This legislation would require the Department of Elections to make a tool available to all localities to allow voters with visual impairments or print disabilities to receive an absentee ballot electronically.

Another bill to postpone the June primary elections from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Tuesday also passed the chamber 27-12. Senate Bill 1148, sponsored by Sen. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Hanover, also adjust filing deadlines to reflect these changes. It passed 27-12.

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square