MONTGOMERY — Legislation expanding the number of members of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles passed the Senate on Thursday by a 16-8 margin.
Senate Bill 324, sponsored by State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville), would expand the board's membership from three to five.
The bill would also allow the board to appoint its own chair.
"The chair needs to be working with the board in conjunction with the board. Not given this position and it doesn't matter what anyone else on the board says," Chambliss said at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting last week.
The governor would still appoint all board members. Under the bill, appointees would have to be approved by the Senate. Two of the board members would be required to have at least 10 years of law enforcement experience.
Chambliss, chair of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, said at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting last week that the problem with the current board is the lack of responses to questions from oversight committee members.
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