the House voted 185-173 in favor of a committee recommendation...

the House voted 185-173 in favor of a committee recommendation to kill House Bill 607, introduced by Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, which would have replaced the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility for parole.
Governor John Lynch, a Democrat, vowed to veto the measure if it passed.
There is no one on New Hampshire's death row, and no one has been executed there since 1939.
According to the statute, a jury must make two unanimous votes to send someone to death row: one to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and a 2nd to find at least 2 aggravating circumstances.
The Legislature voted to repeal the statute in 2000, but the move was nullified by Governor Jeanne Shaheen's veto. Since then, repeal efforts have been defeated twice.