Sen. Ernie Chambers
It appears an effort to abolish the death penalty in Nebraska -will- go before state lawmakers for debate this session.
A bill that would repeal the use of capitol punishment in the state went before the legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.
Members voted 7-0 to advance the bill (LB543) to the full chamber for debate. It would change the sentence for all inmates who are sentenced to death to a sentence of life in prison without the chance for parole.
The bill’s sponsor, Senator Ernie Chambers of Omaha, has made the measure his priority bill, which raises its chances of being debated.
The Husker State has 11 inmates on death row and hasn’t carried out an execution since 1997. That was Robert Williams who’d confessed to three murders. He was put to death in the electric chair.
