USA - Montana. Move to abolish Montana death penalty passes significant hurdle

Move to abolish Montana death penalty passes significant hurdle. The House Judiciary Committee passed 11-10 HB 370 to abolish the death penalty. The same committee stalled earlier bills to abolish the death penalty in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. They had been introduced and then passed by the state senate. This year the bill, which was introduced by Republican Rep. David Moore, started out on the house side. Moore says the bill, which would abolish executions and replace them with a sentence of life imprisonment with no chance of parole, must now be voted on by the state house of representatives no later than Feb. 27. "I honestly don't know what will happen," Moore said. "I think there's enough votes on the house floor for it to pass." If it passes, it would go through a similar process in Montana's senate. If passed as written the legislation would be retroactive.