March 24, 2026 · Crime Victims, Crime and Correction · 1,485 words · 4 speakers · 69 segments
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to today's meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction. I'm your committee chair, Senator Julia Salazar, and I would like to just acknowledge the other senators who have joined us today. Senator Robert Olson is the working member of this committee and we have his voting sheet, I believe. And we are also joined by Senator Rivera, Senator Bailey, Senator Harkham, Senator Murray. Thanks for joining us. And thank you to members of the public for joining us today as well. The. Today we have nine bills on our agenda. The first bill on our agenda will be laid aside at the request of the sponsor. I am the sponsor. Spoiler.
And
laid this bill aside in order to have more time to discuss the legislation with stakeholders. The second bill on our agenda today is S18 by Senator Rivera. The committee clerk, Julia Fetter, will read
the title of the bill, S1856A, An act to amend the correction law in relation to prohibiting county correction officers from dispensing medications to incarcerated individuals on the premises of a local correctional facility.
Thank you. Any questions or discussion?
Move the bill.
Second motion. Move the bill by Senator Harcom. Seconded by Senator Bailey. All those in favor?
Aye.
Opposed or. Thank you, Senator Murray. The bill is reported. The third bill on our agenda is S. S2508 by Senator Salazar, the committee clerk.
S. 2508, An act to amend the correction law in relation to conditional release for eligible offenders who complete post secondary degrees or programs.
Thank you. Change to limited credit time loans. Are there any questions or discussion with the bill?
Excellent. Vote. Second.
Thank you. Motion move the bill by Senator Harcomb. Seconded by Senator Bailey. All those in favor?
Aye.
Poster awr. Thank you, Senator Murray. The bill is reported to finance. Thanks. Fourth bill on our agenda is S3746 by Senator Clear.
The committee clerk will read S3746, An act to amend the executive law in relation to requiring at least one member of the state Board of Parole be a formerly incarcerated person.
Thank you. Any questions or discussion?
Just a question. Is there any requirement that there be a victim or family or loved one of a murdered victim serving on the board?
No. Although I would certainly support that as well. Yeah, that would be. That would be good.
My question.
Yep.
Obviously I'm in favor of the concept. However, what happens if there aren't any candidates that are eligible to qualify for the rest of the criteria that's needed to meet in order to be a corrections officer? For all of you, what happens if
you don't have sufficient candidates.
What happens. Criteria for them to meet in order to become.
Yeah. For what it's worth, I know that even at this very moment, there are a number of formerly incarcerated individuals who are willing to serve as commissioners on the Board of Parole. Have sought to have gotten support from advocates. I've personally interviewed them and recommended them, actually to the executive, hoping that they would be. At least one of them would be considered an appointed. But. Yeah. The bill does not address the possibility that an individual. That there wouldn't be a formerly incarcerated individual who would be eligible to serve or to be appointed.
This doesn't impact anybody who wants to be on the parole board, the requirements for that position?
No, no, it doesn't. Otherwise, the bill does not modify any other requirements for somebody to serve on the board.
I apologize. I have one more. Is there anything currently prohibiting someone, a formerly incarcerated person, from being on the board now?
No, there's not.
So this. But this would require.
Would require that at least one member of the board be a formerly incarcerated person. Yeah. Any other questions?
The bill motion.
The bill by Senator Har.
I'll second.
Seconded by Senator Bailey. All those in favor?
Aye.
Opposed or awr?
Opposed.
Thank you, Senator Murray. The bill is reported. The fifth bill on our agenda is S4350, Center 57 by Senator Bailey.
The committee clerk will read S.4357, An act to Amend the correction law in relation to providing vocational training to incarcerated individuals on the installation of solar hot water systems for the provision of hot water to correctional facilities.
Thank you. Any questions or discussion.
Move the bill. I just. I think it's a great bill. I think this is what we're supposed to be doing is helping, you know, giving them vocational training for when they do get released and they might have something. I think this is a great bill. This is really thinking forward here.
Definitely.
Thank you, Madam Chair. On the agenda. It's the same thought process when eventually we hope that we find a day where we find people who are released from their term of incarceration and that when they leave, they become even more productive members of society and they leave that facility with a skill that is in line with the times. And I believe this is something that is in line with times. And I am grateful to you for putting this on the other.
Yeah. Thank you.
Move the bill. Second.
Thank you. Motion by Senator Sepulveda. Seconded by Senator Murray. Thank you, Senator Bailey. All those in favor, Aye.
Aye.
Opposed or AWR. The bill is reported. The sixth bill on our agenda today is S. 6389 by Senator Parkham.
The committee's clerk will read S. 6389 and act directing the Commissioner of Corrections and Community Supervision to study gender disparity and resources provided to incarcerated individuals.
Thank you. I would say this is a particularly timely bill. Senator, did you want to.
Well, thank you, Madam Chair, for putting this on. The bill on the agenda. As you know, I have two women's facilities in my district. And when I meet with the women who are incarcerated there, the common theme is their feeling that compared to their colleagues in men's facilities, the level of programming and the types of programming is not equal. And just to the point of the prior discussion, if we want to equip people and empower people to be successful when they come out, we need to have the programming while they are incarcerated. And so this would just simply study what programs are available in men's facilities versus what programs are available in women's facilities. So thank you for putting this on.
Thank you for your leadership on this. Senator Harcomb. Are there any other questions or discussion?
Move the bill.
Second, we should move the bill by Senator Bailey. Second. Sorry. Seconded by Senator Sepulchre. Senator Rivera. All those in Favor, Opposed or AWR? Bill is reported. The seventh bill on our agenda is S.6463 by Senator Clear.
The committee clerk will read S.6463, An act to Amend the correction law in relation to authorizing the transfer of pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals to residential treatment facilities.
Thank you. Any questions or discussion? Motion move the bill by Senator Bailey. Seconded by Senator Harcomb. All those in favor, opposed or AWR? Thank you, Senator Murray. The bill is reported. The eighth bill in our agenda is S. 7137 by Senator Salazar.
The committee clerk will read S. 7137 and act to amend the correction law in relation to the establishment of emergency management release plans to be developed for use in correctional facilities in the event of a state disaster emergency declared pursuant to executive order.
Thank you. A bill that has passed the Senate in the p. Past. The Senate in the past. Any questions or discussion?
Move it.
Second motion. Move the bill by Senator Bailey. Seconded by Senator Rivera. All those in favor?
Aye.
Opposed? Aye. Thank you, Senator Murray. The bill is reported. The ninth and final bill on our agenda today is S. 8061 by Senator Scoopus. The committee clerk will read S. 8061
in act to amend the correction law in relation to providing mental health counseling for correction officers. And civilian staff and correctional facilities.
Thank you. Any questions or discussion?
Move it.
Motion move the bill by Senator Murray. Seconded by Senator Sepulda and Senator Bailey. All those in favor, opposed, or the bill is reported. Thank you, everyone. This concludes our committee meeting today.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you.