"Iowa's death penalty debate heats up again," is the Quad City Times report written by Mike Wiser of Lee Newspapers.
Iowa would become the first state to reintroduce the death penalty since New York did in 1995 if legislation filed last week becomes law.The abduction and slaying of 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and her 10-year-old cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey this summer in Evansdale gave capital punishment advocates the resolve to try, once again, to reintroduce it to Iowa where it was abolished in 1965.
Elizabeth’s parents, Heather and Drew, joined with conservative state Sen. Kent Sorenson, R-Milo, and the parents of other missing and murdered children at a pair of Statehouse news conferences announcing their intention to push for its reinstatement.
They also met with Gov. Terry Branstad, who indicated he would sign a bill that brought the death penalty back in limited circumstances.
But enthusiasm in both the House and the Senate seems muted at best. The majority Senate Democrats said there’s no interest in the bill, and it won’t make it to the floor for a vote. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, indicated it’s not a top priority for the House if the Senate is not going to act.
Earlier coverage from Iowa begins at the link.
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