"Death penalty audit clears Nev. Senate panel," is the AP report by Sandra Chereb, via the Nevada Appeal.
A bill requiring a study on the cost of the death penalty in Nevada cleared a state Senate committee Tuesday on a party-line vote, with Republicans raising concerns the study is a veiled attempt to abolish capital punishment.
The Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections endorsed AB444, with Sens. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, and Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, opposed.
Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, a prime sponsor of the bill, said the goal is to give legislators a thorough analysis on how much it costs Nevada taxpayers to keep the death penalty.
Backers of the bill note that condemned inmates typically remain on death row for decades as countless appeals wind through the courts. Most die in prison or are executed only when they volunteer for lethal injection.
There are 83 people on Nevada’s death row. The last execution was in 2006 and none is imminent.
And:
A similar bill was vetoed in 2011 by Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who said it lacked specifics to ensure the result would be fair.
Earlier coverage from Nevada begins at the link.
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