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S 237VERMONTSession 2025-2026State Billin committee
High Impact

Vermont Restructures Parole Board, Creates Full-Time Chair, and Appropriates $430,000 in Fiscal Year 2027

Original title: An act relating to restructuring the Parole Board

Last action · January 13, 2026: Read 1st time & referred to Committee on JudiciarySponsor: Tanya Vyhovsky

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill restructures the Vermont Parole Board into an independent commission composed of a full-time chair and four members, creates staff attorney and administrative assistant positions, appropriates $430,000 for 2027, and takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Why it matters

The measure alters how parole decisions are administered in Vermont by establishing dedicated legal and administrative staff, requiring annual training for board members, and permitting parolees to voluntarily relinquish their parole status.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Parole Board members

Board members face new training requirements, term limits, and an independent commission structure with a full-time chair.

Directly affected

Inmates serving sentences with minimum terms

Inmates must have no additional pending criminal charges to be eligible for parole consideration.

Directly affected

Parolees

Parolees gain the explicit ability to voluntarily relinquish their parole status.

Directly affected

Crime victims

Victims retain and clarify rights to receive notifications regarding parole hearings, conditions, and earned time reductions.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Parole Board structured under this bill?
The Parole Board is established as an independent commission within the Executive Branch consisting of one full-time chair and four members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.
What new positions are created for the Parole Board?
The bill creates three permanent positions: a full-time exempt Chair, a full-time exempt staff attorney, and a full-time classified administrative assistant, in addition to the previously established Parole Board Director.
What are the funding appropriations for the Parole Board in fiscal year 2027?
The bill appropriates $430,000 total from the General Fund in 2027: $160,000 for the Chair, $150,000 for the staff attorney, $100,000 for the administrative assistant, and $20,000 for required training.
Can a parolee voluntarily give up their parole status?
Yes, the bill permits a parolee to request to voluntarily relinquish parole after signing the parole agreement.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

1 action
  1. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Read 1st time & referred to Committee on Judiciary

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Tanya VyhovskySenateDemocratic/ProgressivePrimary sponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Independence of Parole Revocation Counsel

The bill explicitly prohibits Assistant Attorneys General and Department of Corrections attorneys from counseling the Parole Board during parole revocation hearings to reinforce institutional independence.

Parole BoardDepartment of Corrections

Connected Entities

Governor, Senate, Department of Corrections and 4 more
PersonGovernor“Appoints board members, the director, and designates the chair”Map →
OrganizationSenate“Provides advice and consent for board appointments”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Corrections“Involved in victim notification and parole administration”Map →
PersonSenator Tanya Vyhovsky“Introduced S.237 in the Senate”Map →
OrganizationDefender General“Notified of training provided by certain state attorneys”Map →
OrganizationParole Board“The state board being restructured”Map →
OrganizationGeneral Assembly“Enacting body of the State of Vermont”Map →

Sources

Open source document

legislature.vermont.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy25
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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