USA - Florida. The House passed a bill requiring a 10-2 vote for a death sentence

The House on Thursday passed HB 7101, a bill intended to bring back the state’s death penalty, which has been on hold since last month. Lawmakers voted 93-20 on the legislation. Under a rewrite of state death-penalty laws, juries would sentence convicted killers to death, rather than recommending the sentence to a judge. That’s the policy that prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to declare Florida’s sentencing rules unconstitutional last month. As part of a deal struck with senators, a death sentence would also require a 10-2 jury vote and unanimous agreement that aggravating factors outweigh mitigating factors to justify a death sentence. The issue was forced to the top of lawmakers’ priorities Jan. 12, when the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Hurst v. Florida on the first day of the legislative session. Without rewriting the laws, death sentences cannot go forward in the state. the former prosecutor who negotiated the details of the plan with the Senate. “This bill, which admittedly is a compromise, ensures that remedy can be used in the vary rare cases when it should be applied.” Juries would still have to find a person guilty by a unanimous vote, and they would now have to agree unanimously to at least one aggravating factor. The Senate still must vote on the legislation before it is sent to Gov. Rick Scott for his signature or veto. Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who negotiated the agreement with Rep. Charles McBurney, R-Jacksonville, said he anticipates the Senate will pass it.