USA - Nevada. The Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations has abandoned a plan to impose a two-year moratorium

The Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections has abandoned a plan to impose a two-year moratorium on the death penalty in Nevada. Instead, the committee voted for Assembly Bill 501 to have a legislative study on the cost of prosecuting and handling appeals in death penalty cases compared to non-death penalty murder cases. Committee Chairman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, said a moratorium is moot. He noted prison officials say they can’t carry out an execution because the drug used during the death penalty isn't available. There are also questions about whether the death chamber at the Nevada State Prison is usable. The last execution in Nevada was in April 2006. The original bill called for the 2-year moratorium, but that was taken out by the committee. The bill now goes to the Assembly. Initially AB501 would suspend executions until July 1, 2013, but does not prohibit the imposition of new death sentences during that time.