Death Penalty Ban Considered

A House committee is reconvening to consider a bill repealing Delaware's death penalty.

Members of the Judiciary Committee ended a meeting last week in confusion, after supporters of the bill failed to win approval to table it and opponents were prevented from taking a vote against it.

Majority Democrats acknowledged, however, that the bill did not have enough votes to be released from committee.

The standoff sent House lawyers to work studying whether rules governing House procedures were followed, and House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf said the committee would reconvene Tuesday.

The measure barely cleared the Senate last month on an 11-10 vote, even after chief sponsor Sen. Karen Peterson removed a controversial provision that would have spared the lives of 17 inmates already awaiting execution in Delaware.

Currently 33 states, including Pennsylvania, have the death penalty.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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