Appropriates an additional $307,900 from the General Fund to the Commission of Pardons and Parole for fiscal year 2018; and authorizes an additional 3 full-time equivalent positions.

This is a trailer appropriation bill that provides $307,900 to the Commission of Pardons and Parole for FY 2018 to address the fiscal impact of S1113, which, among other things, repeals various subsections under Section 20-229B, Idaho Code, regarding intermediate sanctions for parole violators. Intermediate sanctions were added to Idaho Code as part of S1357 (2014) (commonly referred to as the Justice Reinvestment Initiative) in order to divert certain parole violators from lengthy prison stays. Prior to the passage of S1357, paroleviolatorswereincarceratedforamediantermoffivemonthsbeforedisposition. Afterimplementation of S1357, the median term decreased to four months. Removing intermediate sanctions is expected to increase the median term to at least five months, and potentially up to eight months. This will result in a substantial increase to the Department of Correction's bed utilization. To increase the parole hearing capacity of the Commission of Pardons and Parole, and to thereby mitigate the fiscal impact of repealing intermediate sanctions, S1113 increases the number of members on the commission from five to seven; allows the commission to address disposition of parole violations with a panel of two commissioners; and increases their pay by 50% (from $200 to $300 per day). To assist the commissioners, a technical records specialist (TRS) and two hearing officers are also contemplated.