Virginia House passes parole transparency bill

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - A bill that will make votes by the Virginia Parole Board public is headed to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk. The House of Delegates voted 96-3 to make the board’s votes public.

Senate Bill 5 was proposed by State Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County).

“Virginians should know who is making these critical public safety and individual liberty decisions on the Parole Board,” said Suetterlein.

The Virginia Parole Board has been facing controversy over the past two years for decisions made in the early part of the pandemic.

Governor Youngkin appointed all new members to the board when he took office.

“When someone is arrested for violating Virginia law, everyone can look up those that enacted that law as well as the names of the arresting officer, the prosecutor, the judge, and the appellate judges. Only when it gets to the Parole Board does anonymous action replace transparency. When SB5 is signed into law, we can bring the disinfecting benefits of sunshine to the Parole Board,” said Suetterlein.