Senate leader suggests panel to vet pardon applications in light of Bevin controversy
In the aftermath of former Gov. Matt Bevin’s controversial handling of pardons, Senate President Robert Stivers said Wednesday he is considering legislation that would set up a commission to vet applications for pardons.
Stivers, an attorney, said some states have created a series of steps that must be taken before a governor can issue a pardon. The Republican legislative leader said his potential proposal would do more than set up a notification system for victims when pardons are issued.
Bevin, a Republican, issued a flurry of pardons in final last days in office last month. Several involved people convicted of murder, rape and other violent crimes, which angered victims or their families, prosecutors and lawmakers.
In these early days of Kentucky’s 2020 General Assembly, bills have been introduced to put checks on gubernatorial pardon powers and make sure victims are notified before their assailants are pardoned.
One proposed constitutional amendment would spell out that victims must be notified before a pardon is issued. Another would take away a governor’s power to pardon in the month leading up to an election, and for the time between an election and the swearing-in of a new governor.
The goal is to give the public the chance to review pardons before an election.
Stivers, R-Manchester, said he is thinking about proposing a pardon commission that would review and research pardon applications and then make recommendations about them to the governor.
The governor then would review the commission’s recommendations. “But only upon that commission would he be able to pardon.” said Stivers.
Under such a process, said the lawmaker, applications could be made throughout a governor’s term Most now come at the end of a governor’s term.
His plan would allow victims, defendants and prosecutors to have input in pardons, said Stivers.
Asked how commission members would be appointed, Stivers said he still is researching that but mentioned the governor and legislature.
In an interview last month with Terry Meiners on WHAS 940, Bevin said he had previously asked then-Attorney General Andy Beshear, who now is governor, to create a “sentencing integrity unit” to make sure that no innocent people were in jail. Beshear wouldn’t do so, Bevin said.
“We should want there to be integrity in the system,” Bevin said, before talking about how he thinks America has the greatest criminal justice system in the world. “But if we think it’s a flawless system, we’re kidding ourselves.”
