SESSION WATCH
Died HOUSE · SESSION 2026

No. HB 61

Objective Parole Guidelines
Send via email
SPONSOR
Hart-Lowman
FILED BY
Dianne Hart-Lowman — District 63, Democrat [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026
DIED IN
Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Filed under Criminal Justice.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Objective Parole Guidelines; Provides additional requirements for objective parole guidelines; requires specified statistical analysis to be provided to Legislature.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Adds program participation to parole criteria and requires annual statistical reports to legislative leaders.

The bill adds a new criterion for parole decisions. It requires guidelines to identify an inmate's use of vocation, education, and self-betterment programs.

It changes the commission's duty regarding consecutive sentences. The commission must now explicitly not aggravate or aggregate each consecutive sentence when setting release dates.

It shifts the treatment of certain scoring factors. Factors used for salient factor scores may now be applied as aggravating circumstances, rather than being strictly prohibited.

It creates a new reporting requirement. The commission must provide its annual statistical analysis of parole actions to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Mandatory Program Use in Guidelines majors. 947.165(1)

AIAdds a new requirement that parole guidelines must identify inmate program participation.

“by identifying an inmate's use of vocation, education, and self-betterment programs and courses in the department.” bill text, line 19 →
§ 2 Prohibition on Aggravating Consecutive Sentences majors. 947.165(1)

AIExplicitly forbids the commission from using consecutive sentences to delay parole release.

“not aggravate or aggregate each consecutive sentence in establishing the presumptive parole release date” bill text, line 22 →
§ 3 Discretion to Apply Factors as Aggravators moderates. 947.165(1)

AIChanges a mandatory prohibition into a discretionary one for using specific factors as aggravators.

“may not be applied as aggravating circumstances”
§ 4 Legislative Reporting Requirement moderates. 947.165(2)

AIRequires the commission to send its annual statistical analysis to legislative leadership.

“The statistical analysis shall be provided to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon completion.” bill text, line 35 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
1/13/2026
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
10/7/2025
Now in Criminal Justice Subcommittee
10/7/2025
Referred to Judiciary Committee
10/7/2025
Referred to Criminal Justice Subcommittee
9/29/2025
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 947.165
+40 / −1