"Bill to repeal Colorado’s death penalty will be introduced next week," is the KWGN-TV report by Eli Stokols.
As if state lawmakers don’t already have their hands full with enough hot-button issues, legislation to repeal Colorado’s death penalty is set to be introduced next Friday, March 15.
Multiple sources have confirmed that the legislation will be introduced in the House and will get its initial House committee hearing the following Tuesday, March 19.
The bill will be sponsored by Reps. Claire Levy of Boulder and Jovan Melton of Aurora; on the Senate side the sponsors are Sens. Morgan Carroll of Aurora and Lucia Guzman of Denver.
Introducing the bill just past the mid-way point of the legislative session underlines the political complications surrounding the bill.
Democrats, who control both legislative chambers and the governor’s office, likely have the votes to pass the bill. The question is whether they want to add another controversial accomplishment to their 2013 resumes in a year when they’re already likely to pass several gun control proposals.
They also risk a fight with one of their own, state Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, who is a staunch supporter of the death penalty.
She fought for the death penalty for Sir Mario Owens and Robert Ray, who both convicted of killing her son back in 2005.
Earlier coverage from Colorado begins at the link.
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