USA - Alabama. House Committee approves HB 275 to streamline death penalty appeals.

The House Judiciary Committee approves HB 275 to streamline death penalty appeals. The legislation, by Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper, would send death penalty case appeals directly to the Alabama Supreme Court, skipping the Court of Criminal Appeals. The legislation was initiated by Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who said he brought the legislation in response to the deaths of seven Alabama law enforcement officers from gunfire over a 13-month period. But it applies to death penalty cases involving all types of victims. An identical bill (SB 200) won committee approval in the Senate 2 weeks ago. Rowe said the intent is to speed up an appeals process that sometimes lasts for decades. Rowe and other advocates for the bill said the change would leave multiple appeal steps in place, including those on the federal level.