March 14th, 2013 by WCBC Radio
The House of Delegates began floor debate Wednesday on the bill to repeal the death penalty. Supporters believe that the bill will easily pass the House. The House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on Friday, just days after the bill received final approval in the Senate. Like their counterparts in the Senate, opponents in the House committee proposed amendments to allow the death penalty in certain cases, and like the Senate, those amendments were rejected. Washington County Republican Delegate Neil Parrott, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, expects those amendments to be considered on the House floor. He says the death penalty needs to be an option for the "most heinous crimes" such as mass murders at schools, or the killing of police officers or kidnapping victims. Many believe that even if the repeal gets house and senate approval, it will be petitioned to a referendum vote. Parrott who was instrumental in helping get a number of controversial issues placed on the ballot last year, thinks it will be tougher to get a death penalty repeal to referendum…
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