MONTGOMERY — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday provided a favorable report to House Bill 2, which would prescribe mandatory supervision and electronic monitoring to inmates who are slated for early release through the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The bill serves as an amendment to legislation which was implemented in 2015, which requires certain inmates to complete their sentences under supervised release. The new legislation would make retroactive the standards to be applied to convictions prior to the time the previous law was passed. House Bill 2 also provides for the issuance of a nondrivers license photo identification.
Advocates for the legislation say it provides a means to ensure compliance among released prisoners who reenter society. House Bill 2, sponsored by State Rep. Jim Hill (R-Odenville), passed the Alabama House of Representatives by a vote of 77-23.
With the bill having met committee approval, it now heads to the full Senate body for consideration.
The legislature’s upper chamber will also on Friday consider House Bills 4, 5 and 6, which relate to facility construction and prison infrastructure improvements as well as supplemental appropriations to fund the building projects and renovations.
If the Senate opts to amend portions of the bills, the legislation will then return to the lower chamber where House members will have the opportunity to concur.
Yellowhammer News will continue to provide updates and monitor developments as the legislature attempts to pass a comprehensive prison plan to resolve outstanding issues facing the state’s prison system.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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