Virginia Senate passes bill to abolish death penalty
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) The movement to make Virginia the first state in the South to abolish the death penalty inched closer to reality Wednesday as the Senate passed a bill to end the use of capital punishment in all cases.
The Democrat-controlled Senate approved the legislation with a 21-17 vote following an emotional debate that lasted nearly two hours.
...
Repealing Virginias death penalty has garnered support from several notable lawmakers, with Gov. Ralph Northam (D) endorsing the effort before the 2021 General Assembly session began in mid-January.
...
Since the U.S. Supreme Court let states resume the death penalty in 1976, Virginia has conducted the second most executions at 113, behind only Texas. Despite this, the last execution in Virginia was in 2017.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 25 states still have the death penalty, 22 dont and three have moratoriums imposed by their governors.
More here -->
https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/virginia-senate-passes-bill-to-abolish-death-penalty/