01 March 2017 :

The House voted 72-0 to pass HB187 to study how much the death penalty costs the state financially, seen as perhaps a preliminary step toward eliminating it. Rep. Steve Handy, R, sponsor of the study on the cost of capital punishment, said a few years ago the Legislature did a quick study on the issue - and figured it cost $1.6 million more to handle all the appeals and costs of a death sentence over 20 years compared to a life without parole sentence. He said that figure has been criticized as too high or low. So his bill now calls for a much more thorough study on the costs. "We like to make data-driven decisions," he said. "In this instance, we don't have enough data." The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.