AR SB1042

Amends Arkansas Code § 16-93-201 to establish requirements for the seven-member Parole Board appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.

Requires Parole Board members to be full-time state officials with no other employment unless limited-time work is approved by the Board Chair, and mandates current members terminate unapproved outside employment by the effective date.

Establishes member qualifications requiring at least a bachelor's degree and five years of professional experience in fields including parole supervision, corrections, criminal justice, law, psychology, or social work; members without a bachelor's degree must have seven years of experience.

Mandates comprehensive training for members appointed after July 1, 2011, and annual training for all members through guidelines from the National Institute of Corrections, with emphasis on data-driven decision making, evidence-based practice, stakeholder collaboration, and recidivism reduction.

Declares the act effective immediately upon Governor approval to correct inadvertently deleted requirements in SB472 of 2015; the act is contingent on SB472 becoming law and is retroactively effective to SB472's effective date.