TOPEKA – The Senate Judiciary Committee could vote on a bill abolishing executions in Kansas this morning.
The measure, Senate Bill 208, would eliminate the death penalty as an option for cases sentenced after July 1, 2009.
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, conceived the bill as a way to save cash-strapped Kansas some money in a tight budget year.
Execution opponents have argued that death penalty cases are more expensive to try and do not deter crime.
Supporters of the death penalty have said a price should not be put on justice.