the House of Representatives has approved a measure...

the House of Representatives has approved a measure (HB1175) that would clear the way for South Dakota to hold its first execution in nearly 6 decades.
The bill was suggested by Governor Mike Rounds to take care of a problem that caused him to call off the scheduled execution of Elijah Page in August. Page faces death for the 2000 torture and slaying of Chester Allan Poage, 19. Page, 25, has given up the appeal process and asked to be killed.
Rounds postponed Page's execution because state law required the use of 2 specific drugs for lethal injection in South Dakota, but prison officials intended to add a third drug to the mix. That 3-drug mix is the common practice in other states that use lethal injection to carry out the death penalty.
The bill approved by the House would remove the legal reference to specific kinds of drugs. It would allow state prison officials to determine the substances to be used in an execution. The bill next goes to the Senate.