USA - Utah. Bill Expanding Death Penalty Passes House.

Bill Expanding Death Penalty Passes House. HB 136 that would expand the death penalty to human traffickers won approval from the Utah House by a 44-28 vote, with 3 abstentions. Sponsored by Representative Paul Ray (Republican - Clearfield), HB 136 - Human Trafficking Amendments allows the death penalty to be an option in the event that a homicide that occurs while an individual is engaged in human trafficking, even if the individual did not commit the homicide themselves. The bill originally stated that the death penalty would only apply when trafficking children, but Ray substituted it to include the trafficking of adults as well. The last execution in Utah dates back to 2010.