Method of execution; Director of DOC certifies that lethal injection isn't available, electrocution. (SB607)
Introduced By
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
Date | Action |
---|---|
01/13/2014 | Presented and ordered printed 14103720D |
01/13/2014 | Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services |
01/24/2014 | Failed to report (defeated) in Rehabilitation and Social Services (6-Y 6-N) |
01/31/2014 | Reconsidered by Rehabilitation and Social Services |
01/31/2014 | Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services (8-Y 6-N) |
02/03/2014 | Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N) |
02/04/2014 | Passed by for the day |
02/05/2014 | Passed by for the day |
02/06/2014 | Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to (21-Y 19-N) |
02/06/2014 | Rereferred to Courts of Justice |
02/10/2014 | Continued to 2015 in Courts of Justice (15-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
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 22 minutes.
Comments
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.