JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Paul Wieland, R-Imperial, announced today his legislation repealing the death penalty has been voted “do pass” by the Missouri Senate General Laws and Pensions Committee. Senate Bill 816 was heard by the panel on Jan. 19. Additional discussion and testimony was heard in committee yesterday (Jan. 26). Senate Bill 816 seeks to end the death penalty in Missouri.
“I am a devout Catholic and I believe if I’m going to be pro-life, I should be so on both ends of the spectrum—from conception to natural death.” Sen. Wieland said. “I appreciate the bipartisan support from my colleagues on the General Laws and Pensions Committee. By voting this bill out of committee, today we are moving this issue and the debate forward.”
Under current law, the punishment for first-degree murder is either life imprisonment without eligibility for parole or death. Senate Bill 816 would repeal the punishment of the death penalty for first-degree murder. In addition, this measure would add that anyone sentenced to death before Aug. 28, 2016, must be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
During the second day of testimony on Senate Bill 816 (Jan. 26), the committee heard testimony from several individuals who were exonerated after serving decades in prison, as well as family members of murder victims and public defenders.
“It is clear that our system is not perfect and while it may be a very small percentage, innocent people have been and will continue to be wrongfully convicted,” Sen. Wieland said. “If just one person is wrongly put to death that is too many. I believe the time has come to end the death penalty in our state.”
For more on Senate Bill 816, and all of Sen. Wieland’s legislation for 2016, please visit his official Missouri Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/wieland.
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