Bill requiring greater transparency from Pardon & Parole OK'd

An effort to require greater transparency from the state Board of Pardons and Paroles received final passage Thursday in the state House.

House Bill 71 was approved 170-3 and now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for consideration. The bill was significantly weakened in the Senate, but still provides first-of-its-kind changes.

Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Tanner, R-Dawsonville, HB 71 comes after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in 2014 that the board's decision-making and deliberations are done in secret and that the agency often grants offenders' freedoms without notifying victims.

As approved Thursday, the bill still requires the board notify a victim whenever an offender has petitioned for a pardon or parole. Prosecutors would only have to be notified for the most egregious crimes.

Also, the Senate stripped provisions that would require board members to publicly reveal how they voted. Instead, the board itself will have to issue a statement explaining its decision.

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