Facts & Research

Recent Legislative Activity

State legislatures and U.S. Congress frequently consider bills addressing death-penalty issues, including legislation to repeal capital punishment, reform it, or expand it.

Below are impor­tant pieces of death penal­ty leg­is­la­tion that have recent­ly passed or are cur­rent­ly being con­sid­ered. (DPI wel­comes addi­tions and sug­ges­tions via email.)

Session dates via StateScape.
State names link to state legislative homepage.

Open Sessions Sessions Closed This Year

Open Sessions

Illinois

Regular: January 11, 2023 — January 5, 2025

Number(s) Description Events Type Status

Would allow the death penalty for murders committed in or on the grounds of a religious institution, public or private school, community college, college, university, child care facility, or a public place by someone at least 18 years of age.
  • Introduced January 26, 2024. Sponsored by: La Shawn Ford (D).
  • Referred to House Rules Committee on January 31, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would reinstate the death penalty.
  • SB2151 Introduced February 10, 2023. Chaplin Rose (R)
  • SB2145 introduced February 9, 2023. Sen. Andrew Chesney (R)
  • SB2114 introduced February 9, 2023. Sen. Neil Anderson (R)
  • SB1596 introduced February 8, 2023. Sen. Jason Plummer (R)
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would reinstate the death penalty for first degree murder of a peace officer.
  • Introduced February 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Dave Severin (R).
  • Referred to House Criminal Administration and Enforcement Subcommittee on March 7, 2023.
  • Referred to House Rules Committee on March 10, 2023.
  • Referred to House Judiciary Committee on February 28, 2024.
  • Referred to House Rules Committee on April 5, 2024. re-referred
 Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would reinstate the death penalty and related procedures for the killing of a police officer in the course of official duties.
  • Introduced May 19, 2023. Sponsored by: Mike Porfirio (D).
  • Referred to Senate Assignments Committee on May 19, 2023.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would reinstate the death penalty for the killing of a person in or on the grounds of a religious institution, public or private school, community college, college, university, child care facility, or a public place. Reestablishes related capital procedures.
  • Introduced January 26, 2023. Sponsored by: La Shawn K. Ford (D).
  • Referred to Senate Rules Committee on January 31, 2023.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would reinstate the death penalty as punishment for the murder of a peace officer or correction facility employee killed while performing their duties and reestablishes capital punishment processes.
  • Introduced February 9, 2024. Sponsored by: Jason Plummer (R).
  • Referred to Senate Assignments on February 9, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Updates existing criminal codes to remove mentions related to capital punishment.
  • Introduced February 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Will Guzzardi (D).
  • Referred to House Judiciary Committee on February 28, 2023.
  • Passed House on March 24, 2023. 66 votes for, 36 votes against.
  • Introduced March 27, 2023. Senator Rachel Ventura (D) and Senator Willie Preston (D)
  • Passed Senate on May 4, 2023. 37 votes for, 19 votes against.
  • Signed by JB Pritzker (D) on June 9, 2023.
  • Final passage June 9, 2023. Became effective on January 1, 2024.
Other Enacted

Would establish the Capital Crimes Litigation Act of 2024, which would reinstate the death penalty for first-degree murder of a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical personnel, or correctional facility employee killed while performing official duties and accordingly establish legal processes for capital representation and appeals.
  • Introduced February 6, 2024. Sponsored by: Neil Anderson (R).
  • Referred to Senate Committee on Assignments on February 6, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

Would eliminate a provision abolishing the death penalty, modify aggravating factors, and transfer remaining funds from the Death Penalty Abolition Fund to reestablish a Capital Litigation Trust Fund.
  • Introduced January 3, 2024. Sponsored by: John Cabello (R).
  • Referred to House Rules Committee on January 16, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Pending

New York

Regular: January 4, 2024 — January 2, 2025

Number(s) Description Events Type Status

Requires that all felony offenders shall be eligible for parole after serving no more than twenty-five years of their sentence; eliminates the possibility of serving consecutive terms of imprisonment which exceed a twenty-five year sentence. 
  • A00854 Introduced January 11, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert Carroll (D).
  • S01922 introduced January 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Luis Sepulveda (D).
  • A00854 Referred to Codes on January 3, 2024.
Modifies Sentencing Process Session Closed Without Passage

Relates to commission of murder in the first degree; provides that sentence for commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree is death or life without parole. 
  • S01271 Introduced January 11, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert G. Ortt (R).
  • A03906 introduced February 8, 2023.
  • S01271 Referred to Codes on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Provides that sentence for commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree is death or life without parole. 
  • Introduced February 3, 2023. Sponsored by: Joe DeStefano (R).
  • Referred to House Codes on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Provides that the sentence for committing murder in the first degree when the victim is a police officer, peace officer or correction officer shall be either death or life imprisonment without parole
  • Introduced April 6, 2023. Sponsored by: Alec Brook-Krasny (R). Cosponsors: Lester Chang (R) .
  • Referred to House Codes on April 6, 2023. Held for consideration in codes on May 23, 2023.
  • Referred to House Codes. on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Relates to consideration of the death penalty for the commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree. 
  • A02193 Introduced January 23, 2023. Sponsored by: Marianne Buttenschon (D).
  • S01830 introduced January 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Joseph Griffo (R).
  • A02193 Referred to House Codes on January 23, 2023.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Ends the imposition of a sentence of life without parole and the death penalty.
  • A02111 Introduced January 23, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert Carroll (D).
  • S04908 introduced February 17, 2023. Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda (D) and Julia Salazar (D)
  • A02111 Referred to House Codes on January 23, 2023.
  • A02111 Referred to House Codes again on January 3, 2024.
Abolition Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Sessions Closed This Year

New York

Regular: January 4, 2024 — January 2, 2025

Number(s) Description Events Type Status

Requires that all felony offenders shall be eligible for parole after serving no more than twenty-five years of their sentence; eliminates the possibility of serving consecutive terms of imprisonment which exceed a twenty-five year sentence. 
  • A00854 Introduced January 11, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert Carroll (D).
  • S01922 introduced January 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Luis Sepulveda (D).
  • A00854 Referred to Codes on January 3, 2024.
Modifies Sentencing Process Session Closed Without Passage

Relates to commission of murder in the first degree; provides that sentence for commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree is death or life without parole. 
  • S01271 Introduced January 11, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert G. Ortt (R).
  • A03906 introduced February 8, 2023.
  • S01271 Referred to Codes on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Provides that sentence for commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree is death or life without parole. 
  • Introduced February 3, 2023. Sponsored by: Joe DeStefano (R).
  • Referred to House Codes on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Provides that the sentence for committing murder in the first degree when the victim is a police officer, peace officer or correction officer shall be either death or life imprisonment without parole
  • Introduced April 6, 2023. Sponsored by: Alec Brook-Krasny (R). Cosponsors: Lester Chang (R) .
  • Referred to House Codes on April 6, 2023. Held for consideration in codes on May 23, 2023.
  • Referred to House Codes. on January 3, 2024.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Relates to consideration of the death penalty for the commission of certain provisions of murder in the first degree. 
  • A02193 Introduced January 23, 2023. Sponsored by: Marianne Buttenschon (D).
  • S01830 introduced January 17, 2023. Sponsored by: Joseph Griffo (R).
  • A02193 Referred to House Codes on January 23, 2023.
Reinstatement Bill Session Closed Without Passage

Ends the imposition of a sentence of life without parole and the death penalty.
  • A02111 Introduced January 23, 2023. Sponsored by: Robert Carroll (D).
  • S04908 introduced February 17, 2023. Sen. Luis R. Sepúlveda (D) and Julia Salazar (D)
  • A02111 Referred to House Codes on January 23, 2023.
  • A02111 Referred to House Codes again on January 3, 2024.
Abolition Bill Session Closed Without Passage

News & Developments

News

Oct 07, 2024

Delaware Officially Removes Death Penalty from State Statutes Eight Years After State Supreme Court Finds It Unconstitutional

On September 26, 2024, Governor John Carney (D) signed House Bill 70, which offi­cial­ly repeals the death penal­ty from the state’s law. Although Delaware’s Supreme Court found its death penal­ty statute to be uncon­sti­tu­tion­al in 2016, inval­i­dat­ing it for future use and effec­tive­ly abol­ish­ing cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, the pas­sage of HB 70 amends Title 11 of the state’s code to remove the death penal­ty and replace it with life with­out parole as the most severe pun­ish­ment for first-degree murder for…

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News

May 17, 2024

Tennessee Authorizes Death Penalty for Child Sexual Assault in Direct Challenge to Supreme Court Precedent

On May 9, Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill autho­riz­ing the death penal­ty for aggra­vat­ed rape of a child, fol­low­ing Florida’s pas­sage of a sim­i­lar law last year. Both laws con­tra­dict long­stand­ing Supreme Court prece­dent hold­ing the death penal­ty uncon­sti­tu­tion­al for non-homi­cide crimes. Tennessee’s law takes effect on July 1. The state has had a death penal­ty mora­to­ri­um in place since May 2022 after Governor Lee learned that state offi­cials had failed to test exe­cu­tion drugs for…

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News

Mar 05, 2024

Oklahoma Execution Moratorium Bill Unanimously Passes Committee and Makes Its Way to the State-House Floor

On February 28, 2023, the Oklahoma House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee unan­i­mous­ly passed a bill that would pause all pend­ing exe­cu­tions and pro­hib­it new death sen­tences while an inde­pen­dent task force reviews cur­rent Oklahoma death penal­ty pro­ce­dures. House Bill 3138, also known as the Death Penalty Moratorium Act, was intro­duced by Republican Representative Kevin McDugle and would cre­ate a five-mem­ber Death Penalty Reform Task Force to ​“study and report on the progress of…

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News

Feb 02, 2024

Ohio Officials Divided on Death Penalty as Attorney General Pushes New Bill to Legalize Nitrogen Hypoxia for Executions

On Tuesday, January 30, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced new leg­is­la­tion to autho­rize the use of nitro­gen gas in exe­cu­tions in the state. Joined by sev­er­al Republican state rep­re­sen­ta­tives and Louis Tobin of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, AG Yost said that he is seek­ing to ​“kick­start” Ohio’s death penal­ty after a six-year pause in exe­cu­tions due to dif­fi­cul­ties obtain­ing lethal injec­tion drugs. ​“The sta­tus quo is unac­cept­able,” he said. According to the text of the…

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