Method of execution; Director of DOC certifies that lethal injection isn't available, electrocution. (HB1052)

Introduced By

Del. Jackson Miller (R-Manassas)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Method of execution. Provides that if the Director of the Department of Corrections certifies that lethal injection is not available as a method of execution, electrocution shall be used instead. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Failed

History

DateAction
01/08/2014Committee
01/08/2014Presented and ordered printed 14101386D
01/08/2014Referred to Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety
01/13/2014Impact statement from DPB (HB1052)
01/14/2014Assigned MPPS sub: Subcommittee #1
01/16/2014Subcommittee recommends reporting (4-Y 1-N)
01/17/2014Reported from Militia, Police and Public Safety (15-Y 6-N) (see vote tally)
01/20/2014Read first time
01/21/2014Read second time and engrossed
01/22/2014Read third time and passed House (64-Y 32-N)
01/22/2014VOTE: PASSAGE (64-Y 32-N) (see vote tally)
01/23/2014Constitutional reading dispensed
01/23/2014Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
02/21/2014Continued to 2015 in Rehabilitation and Social Services (10-Y 5-N)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 1 clip in all, totaling 1 minute.

Duplicate Bills

The following bills are identical to this one: SB607.

Comments

ACLU-VA Legislative Agenda, tracking this bill in Photosynthesis, notes:

The ACLU of Virginia opposes this bill because, by allowing the electric chair to become the default method of execution if the Commonwealth cannot secure lethal injection drugs, it doubles down on the Commonwealth’s embrace of the electric chair. Instead of focusing on the method of execution, the General Assembly should be focused on implementing the recommendations outlined in the American Bar Association’s report on the fairness and accuracy of Virginia’s death penalty process. The report found “several areas of concern,” extending from the law enforcement identification and interrogation process at the beginning to the post conviction process at the end. It is unconscionable that we are debating methods of execution when there is strong evidence that calls into question the basic fairness and accuracy of Virginia’s death penalty process.