The House rejected by a 111-29 vote a proposed legislation...

The House rejected by a 111-29 vote a proposed legislation to reinstate the death penalty for people convicted of killing children 6 years old or younger. The death of a 21-month-old New Hampshire girl in November 2000 has prompted a Maine lawmaker to seek to reinstate the death penalty in his state. Rep. Jay MacDougall, R-North Berwick, said the killing of Kassidy Bortner of Rochester, N.H., sparked debate in his district over penalties for those who kill children. Bortner was staying with a Kittery couple the day she died. Her mother's live-in boyfriend has been charged with the girl's death. McDougall's proposal calls for the death penalty for people convicted of killing children 6 years old or younger. Representatives of the Maine Council of Churches and the Department of Corrections spoke out against the proposal.