State lawmakers resume a debate this week on a bill to end the death penalty. As KDNK’s Scott Franz reports, talks in the House will likely be more heated than they were in the Senate..
Republican Dave Williams of Colorado Springs says he’ll try to filibuster the bill when it likely reaches the House floor for a final vote. He thinks the decision should be up to voters, and not the legislature. Supporters say the death penalty is costly and fails to deter violent crime.
And Democrats – along with the support of at least three Republicans – are expected to use their majority to repeal it for all crimes committed after July first. Governor Jared Polis is also ready to end it. A similar measure stalled last year in the Senate because some Democrats wanted to keep it.