When Was the Death Penalty Made Legal Again

Below are of import pieces of death penalization legislation that have recently passed or are currently being considered. (DPIC welcomes additions and suggestions.)

(Left: A lath displays the vote totals in the Kentucky Senate on HB 269, a pecker to prohibit the imposition of the death sentence against individuals with a documented history of serious mental affliction. One tardily vote was added to the tally displayed on the vote board. The 25-9 vote on March 25, 2022 completed legislative blessing of the measure, which was forwarded to the governor for terminal action.)

2022 - Proposed legislation
States with bills to abolish death punishment indicated with *
Session dates via StateScape
State names link to country legislative homepage

ALABAMA (Session dates: 01/11/2022 - 05/17/2022)
Bill number	Bill Description	Status
SB 76/SB 196	Would amend the Alabama constitution to require the governor to notify victims' family members earlier granting a reprieve or commutation to a person sentenced to decease	SB 76 introduced Jan xiii, 2022 by Sen. Sam Givhan (R), Chris Elliott (R), and Volition Barfoot (R). SB 196 introduced Feb 8, 2022 by Sen. Steve Livingston (R) and Sam Givhan (R).

ARIZONA* (Session dates: 01/10/2022 - 05/30/2022)
Nib number	Bill Description	Status
HCR 2002	Would repeal the death sentence	Introduced by Rep. Athena Salman (D)

CALIFORNIA* (Session dates: 12/07/2020 - xi/30/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Condition
ACA 2	Would better the California constitution to prohibit the death sentence from being imposed equally a punishment for any violations of constabulary.	Read first time December 7, 2020. Referred to the Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Public Safe on February 18. Sponsored by Assembly Members Laura Friedman (D), Mike Gipson (D), and Mark Rock (D).
AB 1224	Would allow a judge to dismiss a finding of a "special circumstance." Under electric current law, if certain special circumstances are found in a first degree murder case, the defendant must be sentenced to decease.	Introduced February 19, 2021 by Fellow member Marc Levine (D). Referred to the Associates Commission on Public Safety on March 4 and PASSED by the commission by a vote of 5-2 on April 21.
SB 300	Would repeal a provision requiring punishment by death or imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole for a person bedevilled of murder in the first degree who is not the actual killer, but acted with reckless indifference for human being life as a major participant in sure specified trigger-happy felonies. Would likewise let prisoners sentenced under that provision to petition for a resentencing. Would allow judges to strike special circumstances.	Introduced February 3, 2021 by Sen. Dave Cortese (D). PASSED by the Senate Committee on Public Safety past a vote of 4-0 on Apr 6 and referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Ordered to the Inactive File on June 2 at the asking of the legislative sponsor.
AB 256	The "Racial Justice Act for All" would make California'due south 2020 Racial Justice Human action retroactive.	Introduced Jan 14, 2021 past Associates Members Ash Kalra (D), Robert Rivas (D), and Miguel Santiago (D), and Sen. Sydney Kamlager (D). PASSED past the Public Safe Committee (6-two) on March 23. PASSED past the Appropriations Committee (4-0) on May 20. PASSED the Assembly (45-21) on June 1. PASSED by the Senate Public Safety Committee (four-1) on June 29. Suspended past the Senate Appropriations Commission on August 26. The bill tin can be considered by the Senate in 2022.
AB 2657	Would create a mechanism to remove from decease row individuals who are permanently mentally incompetent	Introduced February 18, 2022 by Associates Member Mark Stone (D). Referred to Committee on Public Safety on March 10.

FLORIDA* (Session dates: 01/11/2022 - 03/11/2022)
Neb number	Bill Description	Condition
SB 386/H 6061	Would abolish the death punishment.	SB 386 filed September 30, 2021 by Sen. Gary Farmer Jr. (D). H 6061 filed Oct 20, 2021 past Rep. Joseph Geller (D).
SB 770/HB 1251	Would prohibit the capital punishment for defendants with severe mental illness	SB 770 filed Nov 2, 2021 by Sen. Jeff Brandes (R). Died in commission on March 14, 2022. HB 1251 filed Jan 6, 2022 past Rep. Vance Aloupis Jr. (R). Died in committee on March fourteen, 2022.
SB 1204/HB 873	Would create a public records exemption for data that could reveal the identity of a "person or entity" that participates in an execution	Senate bill filed December 8, 2021 by Sen. Doug Broxson (R). PASSED Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Jan. 25 by a 9-0 vote. PASSED Senate Judiciary Committee on February. seven by a 10-0 vote. PASSED Senate Rules Committee on Feb. 15 by a 9-6 vote. House bill filed December 8, 2021 by Rep. Patt Maney (R). PASSED the Firm on March 3, 2022 by a vote of 84-31. PASSED the Senate on March 7 by a vote of 28-10.

GEORGIA* (Session dates: 01/11/2021 - 03/31/2022)
Pecker number	Beak Clarification	Status
HB 485	Would repeal the decease penalty	Introduced February 17, 2021 by v Democratic sponsors and one Republican sponsor.
HB 1426	Would change the standard of proof for intellectual disability in capital cases. Georgia currently has the nation's highest standard of proof for intellectual disability ("beyond a reasonable doubt"). The neb would lower information technology to "by a preponderance of testify," aligning it with most other states' standards.	Introduced February 22, 2022 past Rep. Beth Moore (D), Rep. Nib Werkheiser (R), and Rep. Stan Gunter (R).

IDAHO (Session dates: 01/x/2022 - 03/20/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Status
HB 658	Would make the identity of lethal-injection drug suppliers and others involved in executions confidential, and forestall doctors who participate in executions from having their licenses revoked	Introduced February 16, 2022 by the State Diplomacy Committee. Hearing held in the Judiciary Committee Feb 17. PASSED committee on Feb 18. PASSED the House past a 38-30 vote on Feb 24. Hearing held in the Senate Judiciary and Rules Commission on March ix. Failed by an initial 4-4 vote in commission on March nine, but after PASSED 5-4 with all commission members present on March fifteen. PASSED the Senate by a 21-14 vote on March eighteen. SIGNED past the Governor on March 23.

ILLINOIS (Session dates: 01/13/2021 - 01/11/2023)
Pecker number	Pecker Description	Status
HB 3627/SB 614/SB 2219	Would reinstate the capital punishment	HB 3627 filed February 19, 2021 by Rep. Andrew Southward. Chesney (R), referred to Rules Committee. SB 614 filed February 24, 2021 by Sen. Brian Due west. Stewart (R), referred to Assignments Committee. SB 2219 filed Feb 26, 2021 by Sen. Jason Plummer (R), referred to Assignments Committee.
SB 3899/HB 4746	Would reinstate the death sentence for killing a constabulary officer in the course of performing his or her official duties	SB 3899 filed Jan 21, 2022 by Sen. Darren Bailey (R), referred to Assignments Commission. HB 4746 filed January 24, 2022 by Rep. Dave Severin (R), referred to Rules Committee January 27, assigned to the Judiciary - Criminal Committee Feb 9, and re-referred to the Rules Committee February xviii.

INDIANA (Session dates: 01/04/2022 - 03/11/2022)
Pecker number	Nib Description	Condition

IOWA (Session dates: 01/xi/2021 - 05/31/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Status
SF 82/SSB 1004/HF 271	Would reinstate the death penalty for murder in the first degree involving kidnapping and sexual corruption offenses against the aforementioned victim who is a pocket-sized	Introduced January 14, 2021 by 14 Republican sponsors in the Senate and 1 Republican sponsor in the House and referred to Judiciary Committee. Failed to make it out of committee by deadline for passage.
SF 534, as amended by H-1306	The amendment would reinstate the capital punishment for the murder of a "correctional officer, public employee, or hostage while the person is imprisoned in a correction establishment under the jurisdiction of the Iowa Section of Corrections, or in a city or county jail … or a peace officeholder who is on duty, under any circumstances, with noesis that the person killed is a peace officer."	Subpoena filed in the Business firm Committee on Public Safety by Rep. Jon Jacobsen (R) on March 25, 2021 after SF 534, passed the Senate on March 10, 2021. No hearing has been scheduled.

KANSAS* (Session dates: 01/11/2021 - 05/27/2022)
Bill number	Nib Clarification	Status
SB 136	Would abolish the expiry punishment	Introduced Feb 3, 2021 past the Commission on Ways and Means and referred to Judiciary Committee
HB 2300	Would abolish the decease penalty for crimes committed after July 1, 2021	Introduced February 9, 2021 by a bipartisan coalition of 34 sponsors and referred to Commission on Corrections and Juvenile Justice

KENTUCKY* (Session dates: 01/04/2022 - 03/xxx/2022)
Neb number	Bill Description	Status
SB 47	Would abolish the death penalty	Introduced on January 5, 2022 by one Republican and three Democratic sponsors.
HB 269	Would exempt people with astringent mental illness from the death penalisation and require that defendants seeking an exemption due to intellectual disability or severe mental affliction file their motion 120 days before trial	Introduced on January 11, 2022 by a bipartisan group of 21 sponsors. Reported favorably past the Judiciary Committee on February 3. PASSED the House by a 76-19 vote on Feb. 9. Reported favorably by the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 17 and PASSED by the full Senate by a vote of 25-9 on March 25. SIGNED by the Governor on April 8.

LOUISIANA* (Session dates: 03/14/2022 - 06/06/2022)
Bill number	Beak Description	Status
SB 294/HB 106	Would abolish the capital punishment	SB 294 prefiled by Sen. Katrina Jackson (D) on March 3. HB 106 prefiled by Rep. Kyle Chiliad. Dark-green (D) on February 21.
HB 68	Would make parents bedevilled of killing their own children eligible for the death penalty. Murder of any child nether age 12 is already a death-eligible criminal offence.	Prefiled past Rep. Barbara Carpenter (D) on February 14. PASSED Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice on March 24 by a 9-2 vote.

MISSISSIPPI (Session dates: 01/04/2022 - 04/01/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Status
HB 800	Would remove firing squad as an authorized method of execution	Introduced by Rep. Zakiya Summers (D) on January 17, 2022. Died in committee February 1.
HB 1479/SB 2655	Would grant the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections discretion to determine the method of execution from the options of lethal injection, electrocution, nitrogen hypoxia, or firing squad	HB 1479 introduced past Rep. Nick Bain (R) on January 17, 2022. SB 2655 introduced by Sen. Joey Fillingane (R) on January 17, 2022. Died in committee Feb 1.

MISSOURI* (Session dates: 01/05/2022 - 05/xxx/2022)
Nib number	Beak Description	Status
HB 1612/HB 2028	Would cancel the expiry penalty and resentence death-row prisoners to life without parole.	HB 1612 prefiled Dec 1, 2021 by Rep. Tony Lovasco (R). HB 2028 prefiled Dec 20, 2021 by Rep. Sarah Unsicker (D).

NEW YORK (Session dates: 01/06/2021 - 01/01/2023)
Pecker number	Nib Description	Status
AB 3741	Would reinstate the death sentence	Sponsored past Assemblyman Joe DeStefano (R). Referred to Codes on January 28, 2021

N CAROLINA* (Session dates: 1/xiii/2021 - 06/xxx/2022)
Bill number	Bill Description	Condition
HB 724	Would cancel the death sentence	Introduced April 21, 2021 by four Democratic sponsors.

OHIO* (Session dates: 01/04/2021 - 12/31/2022)
Bill number	Beak Clarification	Status
SB 103/HB 183	Would abolish the death penalty	SB 103 introduced March ii, 2021 by Sens. Nickie Antonio (D) and Stephen Huffman (R) and referred to Judiciary Committee. HB 183 introduced March iv, 2021 by Reps. Jean Schmidt (R) and Adam Miller (D) and referred to Authorities Oversight Committee. Re-referred to Criminal Justice Commission on April xv. Four hearings were held in the Criminal Justice Committee throughout 2021.
HB 586	Would allow consideration of DNA testing, regardless of who requested the testing. Intended to close a legal loophole that allows prisoners to remain incarcerated, despite DNA evidence of their innocence, because the testing was requested by someone other than the prisoner.	Introduced by Reps. Jean Schmidt (R) and Terrence Upchurch (D) on March 1, 2022.

OKLAHOMA (Session dates: 02/01/2021 - 05/29/2022)
Beak number	Bill Clarification	Status
HB 1551	Would create a Conviction Integrity Review Unit within the Oklahoma Board of Pardon and Parole to review capital letter cases in which the defendant has presented a plausible claim of bodily innocence (Bill substituted)	Conviction Integrity Review Unit pecker substituted for prior version of HB 1551 and approved by the Business firm Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee on March nine, 2021. Sponsored by Rep. Kevin McDugle (R) and Sen. Shane Jett (R).
HB 2219	Would require all Oklahoma district chaser's offices and the Role of the Chaser General to allow open-file discovery at all stages of a capital case	First reading February 1, 2021, referred to Business firm Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Rep. Kevin McDugle (R) and Sen. Shane Jett (R).
HB 2220	Would create a Prosecutorial Disclosure Review Console to review prosecution files and prosecutor conduct in death penalty cases	First reading February 1, 2021, referred to House Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Rep. Kevin McDugle (R) and Sen. Shane Jett (R).
HB 3903	Would restrict the powers of the pardon and parole board, including i) prohibiting the pardon and parole board from recommending exchange hearings to the Governor for anyone sentenced to death or life without parole, two) forbid the parole board from hearing cases based on actual innocence claims, and iii) limit parole board clemency recommendations in death cases to life without parole	Starting time reading February 7, 2022, referred to Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Rep. John Pfeiffer (R).

PENNSYLVANIA* (Session dates: 01/05/2021 - xi/30/2022)
Bill number	Bill Description	Status
SB 499/HB 999	Would abolish the death sentence	SB 499 sponsored by Sen. Katie J. Muth (D) and referred to Judiciary Committee on July 26, 2021. HB 999 sponsored past Rep. Christopher K. Rabb (D) and referred to Judiciary Committee on April ane, 2021.

Southward CAROLINA* (Session dates: 01/12/2021 - 06/fifteen/2022)
Pecker number	Bill Description	Status
S 52	Would cancel the expiry penalty	Prefiled by Sen. Gerald Malloy (D) and referred to Committee on Judiciary, December nine, 2020
S 200/H 3755	Would brand electrocution the default method of execution, add together firing squad equally an option for the method of execution, and change the process past which prisoners may elect lethal injection every bit their method of execution	H 3755 introduced past 29 sponsors and referred to Commission on Judiciary, January 27, 2021. PASSED committee by a fourteen-7 vote on Feb 23. S 200 prefiled by 6 Republican sponsors and referred to Committee on Corrections and Penology, December 9, 2020. PASSED committee past xi-6 vote on Feb 2. PASSED the full Senate by a vote of 32–xi on March 3. PASSED the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 13-ix on April 27. PASSED the House by a vote of 66-43 on May five. SIGNED by the governor on May xiv.

SOUTH DAKOTA (Session dates: 01/11/2022 - 03/28/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Status
SB 159	Would prohibit the death penalty for defendants with severe mental illness	Introduced by Sen. Timothy Johns (R) and Rep. Aaron Aylward (R) on January 27, 2022. Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee. PASSED the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 6-i vote on Feb. xv. PASSED the Senate by a 21-xiv vote on Feb. 22. Referred to House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 24. Amended by the House Judiciary Commission and PASSED by a vote of 8-iii on March two. FAILED on a vote of 25-43 in the full House.

TENNESSEE (Session dates: 01/12/2021 - 05/07/2022)
Beak number	Bill Description	Status
HB ane/SB 1236	Would allow a defendant who has been sentenced to the death penalty and whose conviction is final to petition the trial court for a determination of whether the defendant is ineligible for the death penalization considering of intellectual disability. Defines intellectual disability every bit "pregnant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, including many everyday social and practical skills; and … [t]hat originated prior to the person'southward eighteenth birthday."	HB 1 filed for introduction by Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D) on November iv, 2020 and introduced on January 12, 2021. Referred to the House Criminal Justice Commission on January 13 and assigned to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee January 27. SB 1236 filed for introduction Sen. Brenda Gilmore (D) and introduced on February 11, 2021. Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee February 22.
HB 1062/SB 1349	Would allow a defendant who has previously been sentenced to death sentence and whose conviction is final to petition the trial court for a determination of whether the defendant ineligible for the death penalty because of intellectual inability. Would conform the definition of intellectual disability to the diagnostic criteria independent "in the electric current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Transmission of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Clan."	Business firm bill 1062 filed for introduction past Rep. David Hawk (R) on February 10, 2021, introduced February eleven, and referred to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the Firm Criminal Justice Commission on February 22. Recommended for passage by a vocalization vote of the subcommittee on April 7. PASSED the Criminal Justice Committee by a vocalisation vote on April 14. PASSED the House by a vote of 89-4 on Apr 26. PASSED the Senate by a vote of 28-1 on Apr 26. Transmitted to the governor on May four. SIGNED by the governor on May 11. Senate bill 1349 filed for introduction past Sen. Todd Gardenhire (R) and introduced February 11, 2021 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 22. Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee calendar by a vote of seven-one on April xiv [Note, legislative website erroneously says iv/13.]
HB 47/SB 226	Would brand a accused convicted of starting time degree murder eligible for the death penalty if the victim was a Adept Samaritan helping, protecting, or providing emergency care to a person and the defendant knew the victim was acting as a Good Samaritan.	House bill filed for introduction by Rep. Brandon Ogles (R) on Dec 16, 2020, introduced January 12, 2021, and referred to House Criminal Justice Committee on Jan 13. Assigned to Criminal Justice Subcommittee January 27 and recommended for passage February 24. Recommended for passage by the Criminal Justice Commission on March 3. PASSED the House by a vote of 84-0 on March 15. Senate pecker filed by Sen. Joey Hensley (R) on January 19, 2021 and referred to Senate Judiciary Committee on February x. Recommended for passage by the committee past a vote of 7-2 on March 30. The Senate moved to substitute SB 226 with HB 47 and PASSED the House bill past a vote of 26-vi on April eight. SIGNED by the governor on April 22.
SB 2310/HB 2809	Would prohibit the capital punishment for defendants with severe mental affliction	Senate beak introduced by Senator Brenda Gilmore (D) on February 1, 2022. Business firm bill introduced by Rep. One thousand.A. Hardaway (D) on February 2, 2022.

UTAH* (Session dates: 01/eighteen/2022 - 03/04/2022)
Bill number	Bill Clarification	Status
HB 147	Would abolish the death punishment and add a sentencing option of 45 years to life for aggravated murder	Introduced on January 18, 2022 past Rep. Five. Lowry Snow (R) and Sen. Daniel McCay (R). FAILED in House Constabulary Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee on Feb. 14 by a v-6 vote.

VIRGINIA (Session dates: 01/12/2022 - 03/08/2022)
Bill number	Pecker Description	Condition
HB 661/SB 379	Would reinstate the expiry penalty for murder of a police officeholder	HB 661 prefiled by Del. William Wampler (R) on Jan 11, 2022. SB 379 prefiled past Sen. Bill DeSteph (R) on January 11, 2022. Senate Judiciary Committee passed by indefinitely on February 7 by a 9-6 vote. "Passed by indefinitely" means the committee can reconsider the bill at a later coming together, but if it takes no further activity, the neb is dead. Both bills FAILED in committee.

WASHINGTON* (Session dates: 01/eleven/2021 - 04/30/2022)
Beak number	Neb Description	Status
SB 5047	Would remove the capital punishment from Washington's laws, bringing it in line with the 2018 Washington Supreme Court ruling striking downwards the death penalty.	Prefiled December 31, 2020 past xvi sponsors. Commencement reading Jan 11, 2021, referred to Committee on Law & Justice.
SB 5099	Would reinstate the capital punishment for people who commit murder while incarcerated.	Prefiled January vii, 2021 by Sen. Keith Wagoner (R) and Sen. Jeff Holy (R). Kickoff reading January 11, 2021, referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

WYOMING* (Session dates: 01/12/2021 - 04/02/2022)
Neb number	Nib Description	Status
SF 150	Would repeal Wyoming's capital punishment.	Introduced March ane, 2021 by xiii bipartisan sponsors. Referred to Senate Revenue Commission. Hearing scheduled for March 4. PASSED Committee by a 4-i vote on March 4. FAILED in the Senate by a 11-19 vote on March 18.

U.Southward. FEDERAL Regime* (Session dates: 01/03/2021 - 10/30/2022)
Bill number	Pecker Description	Status
60 minutes 72	Would provide boosted aggravating factors for the imposition of the federal death penalization	Introduced January four, 2021 by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R -FL)
HR 97/HR 262	Would abolish the federal death penalisation	Introduced Jan 4, 2021. Hour 97 sponsored by Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D - NY). Hour 262 sponsored past Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D - MA).

Feb 05, 2021

Virginia Legislature Votes to Cancel the Capital punishment

With 2 his­toric votes, the Virginia Full general Associates has moved the com­monday­wealth to the cusp of becom­ing the first Southern state to abol­ish cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, approv­ing sep­a­rate bills that would end the state's death penal­ty an…

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News & Developments

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Contempo Legislative Action

Mar xi, 2022

Execution Secrecy Bill Passes in Florida, Fails in Idaho

Bills to increase secre­cy in the con­duct of exe­cu­tions take met dif­fer­ent fates in Florida and Idaho. Florida leg­is­la­tors on March 7, 2022 gave last leg­isla­tive blessing to a pecker that would con­ceal the identity …

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Source: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/recent-legislative-activity