The Senate Courts of Justice Committee this morning voted down a bill that sought to expand eligibility for the death penalty.
On a vote of 9-6, senators defeated Senate Bill 7, which would have repealed the so-called “triggerman” provision in which only the actual killer is eligible for the death penalty in a capital murder.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, would have made principals in the second degree and accomplices before the fact eligible for the death penalty.
The same legislation had cleared the committee last year and was voted off the Senate floor before Gov. Timothy M. Kaine vetoed it.
The Courts of Justice Committee gained two Democrats this year, increasing its majority on the panel.
The hearing on the bill was highlighted by nearly more than a dozen speakers, all but one of whom expressed opposition to the measure.
Opponents included death-penalty opponents and the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union as well as Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring. He parted with the position of the Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, which spoke in support of the legislation.
Senators also approved a bill that would deny concealed handgun permits to out-of-state applicants who have had a drinking and driving offense in the last three years. That is the standard used for in-state residents.
Senators also defeated a measure that would have forbidden localities from fingerprinting applicants for concealed weapons permits.
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