USA - New Hampshire. The bill to create a commission to study the death penalty passed the House 220-92

The bill to create a commission to study the death penalty passed the House 220-92. The 22-member commission will begin work this summer and report findings and recommendations by Dec. 1, 2010. Rep. Jim Splaine, D-Portsmouth, the bill's sponsor, said the commission is necessary to take an in-depth look at the state's death penalty statutes, which came into focus in December 2008 when a New Hampshire court handed down the state's first death sentence in 50 years. (see Dec. 18 and 22).