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HB 529KENTUCKYSession 2026RSState BillSigned into law
Enacted

Kentucky restructures Parole Board terms and panel voting requirements

Original title: AN ACT relating to the Parole Board and declaring an emergency.

Last action · April 7, 2026: signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 46)Sponsors: Daniel Elliott and 2 others

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

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What This Bill Does

Kentucky HB 529 updates Parole Board operations by establishing staggered four-year terms for board members, revising panel voting thresholds, and setting a maximum parole of ten years except for life sentences. The measure also declares an emergency, taking effect immediately upon enactment on April 7, 2026.

Why it matters

Inmates awaiting parole hearings and crime victims receiving notification timelines face revised administrative procedures, while board members serve under modified appointment and term structures.

Background
  • The Kentucky General Assembly is the state legislature responsible for enacting laws relating to criminal justice and state administrative agencies. context
  • The Kentucky Parole Board evaluates eligible incarcerated felons to determine their suitability for release under supervision. context

Who It Affects

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

Directly affected

Parole Board members

Board members are now subject to staggered four-year terms and specific panel voting thresholds.

Directly affected

Inmates in state penal or correctional institutions

Inmates face updated review timelines, mandatory program completion requirements, and revised maximum parole deferment caps.

Directly affected

Crime victims and next of kin

Victims receive formal notice requirements ranging from 45 to 90 days prior to hearings and retain the right to submit comments or attend hearings.

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

What are the qualifications required to be appointed to the Parole Board?
Each appointed member must have at least five years of actual experience in penology, correction work, law enforcement, sociology, law, education, social work, medicine, or a combination of those fields, or have served at least five years previously on the Parole Board.
What happens if a panel of Parole Board members cannot reach an agreement on a parole decision?
If the required number of panel members are not in agreement on a decision, the matter must be referred to the full board.
Can crime victims attend parole hearings?
Yes, crime victims, their next of kin, or parents/legal guardians of minor victims may attend the hearing and present oral and written comments if they notify the board in writing at least seven days prior to the hearing date.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

15 actions
  1. Apr 7, 2026HouseEnrolled
    signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 46)
  2. Mar 26, 2026HouseEnrolled
    received in House enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House enrolled, signed by President of the Senate delivered to Governor
  3. Mar 25, 2026HouseFloor
    3rd reading, passed 38-0
  4. Mar 24, 2026House
    passed over and retained in the Consent Orders of the Day
  5. Mar 20, 2026House
    posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 24 2026
  6. Mar 13, 2026HouseFloor
    2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill
Show 9 earlier actions
  1. Mar 12, 2026House
    reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar
  2. Mar 11, 2026SenateCommittee
    to Judiciary (S)
  3. Feb 19, 2026SenateIntroduced
    received in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)
  4. Feb 18, 2026HouseFloor
    3rd reading, passed 99-0 with Committee Substitute (1), Floor Amendment (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
  5. Feb 13, 2026House
    floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
  6. Feb 12, 2026HouseFloor
    2nd reading, to Rules posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, February 13 2026
  7. Feb 11, 2026House
    reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title)
  8. Feb 6, 2026HouseCommittee
    to Judiciary (H)
  9. Jan 30, 2026HouseIntroduced
    introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

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

Daniel ElliottHouse · District 54RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Jason NemesHouse · District 33RepublicanCosponsor
George BrownHouse · District 77DemocraticCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

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

policy shift99% confidence

Emergency Enactment for Board Stability

The General Assembly declared an emergency to immediately alter Parole Board member terms because four members' terms were expiring in rapid succession.

Parole BoardGeneral Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Connected Entities

Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Secretary of State, General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and 1 more
OrganizationJustice and Public Safety Cabinet“The Parole Board is attached to this cabinet for administrative purposes only.”Map →
PersonSecretary of State“Receives the complete statement of charges when the Governor removes a Parole Bo”Map →
OrganizationGeneral Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky“Enacted HB 529.”Map →
OrganizationKentucky State Corrections Commission“Provides a list of three names to the Governor for Parole Board appointments.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

apps.legislature.ky.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz35
    Current news / social attention level

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