PADemocrats propose abolishing death penalty; Republican floats mandatory sentence for murdering cop
Democrats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly have again proposed abolishing the death penalty, reintroducing legislation after Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his refusal to sign execution warrants and urged lawmakers to ban capital punishment rather than reform the system.
Rep. Christopher Rabb, D-Philadelphia, and Sens. Katie Muth, D-Montgomery, and Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, have reintroduced bills to repeal the death penalty in Pennsylvania, describing the capital punishment system as ineffective, costly, and flawed.
“One innocent life taken at the hands of the state is one too many,” Muth and Street wrote in a memo seeking legislative support for their legislation, a companion bill to Rabb’s proposal in the House.
Last week, Shapiro, a Democrat who took office in January, announced that he would not sign execution warrants and would instead use his executive authority to issue a reprieve to anyone with a scheduled execution, something former Gov. Tom Wolf did upon taking office.
But Shapiro went further than his predecessor and called on the General Assembly to abolish capital punishment altogether, saying the state “should not be in the business of putting people to death.” When he campaigned for governor last year, Shapiro said he opposed the death penalty. He supported capital punishment for heinous crimes when he ran for attorney general in 2016. But Shapiro, who previously served on the state pardons board, said his viewpoint has “evolved” over time.
https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/democrats-propose-abolishing-death-penalty-republican-floats-mandatory-sentence-for-murdering-cop/
