HB1613 (2020) Detail

Allowing prisoners serving life sentences to be eligible for parole after 25 years.


HB 1613-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2020 SESSION

20-2366

04/06

 

HOUSE BILL 1613-FN

 

AN ACT allowing prisoners serving life sentences to be eligible for parole after 25 years.

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Abramson, Rock. 20; Rep. Conley, Straf. 13

 

COMMITTEE: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill requires parole review of certain offenders sentenced to life without parole.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

20-2366

04/06

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty

 

AN ACT allowing prisoners serving life sentences to be eligible for parole after 25 years.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  New Paragraph; Parole of Prisoners; Terms of Release.  Amend RSA 651-A:6 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:

V.(a)  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a prisoner serving a sentence of life imprisonment, with or without the possibility for parole, shall be eligible for parole review after serving a term of 18 years for a conviction for second degree murder under RSA 630:1-b, and after serving a term of 25 years for a conviction for any other offense for which the prisoner was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole.

(b)  This paragraph shall not apply to:

(1)  A prisoner convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death before the effective date of this paragraph; or

(2)  A prisoner who is convicted of murder while serving a sentence in a correctional facility.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBAO

20-2366

12/5/19

 

HB 1613-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT allowing prisoners serving life sentences to be eligible for parole after 25 years.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

   Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Funding Source:

  [ X ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [    ] Other

 

 

 

 

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill requires parole review of certain offenders sentenced to life without parole.  The Department of Corrections indicates there are currently 114 individuals that would be eligible for parole before their minimum sentence and 75 individuals that would become eligible for parole review that are serving sentences of life without parole.  The Department cannot predict the number of people that would or would not be released on parole as a result of this bill.  The Department states the fiscal impact is indeterminable, but expects the impact would either be no change or a decrease in expenditures.

 

It is assumed any fiscal impact of this bill will not occur until FY 2021.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Corrections

 

Links


Date Body Type
Feb. 12, 2020 House Hearing
Feb. 12, 2020 House Hearing
Feb. 25, 2020 House Exec Session
House Floor Vote
March 11, 2020 House Floor Vote

Bill Text Revisions

HB1613 Revision: 7257 Date: Dec. 6, 2019, 12:26 p.m.

Docket


March 11, 2020: Inexpedient to Legislate: MA VV 03/11/2020 HJ 7 P. 169


: Minority Committee Report: Ought to Pass


March 11, 2020: Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate for 03/11/2020 (Vote 15-5; RC) HC 10 P. 44


: Majority Committee Report: Inexpedient to Legislate (Vote 15-5; RC)


Feb. 25, 2020: Executive Session: 02/25/2020 01:00 pm LOB 204


Feb. 12, 2020: Public Hearing: 02/12/2020 02:00 pm LOB 204


Feb. 12, 2020: ==CANCELLED== Public Hearing: 02/12/2020 02:00 pm LOB 204


Jan. 8, 2020: Introduced 01/08/2020 and referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety HJ 1 P. 28