New Hampshire Sends Death Penalty Repeal to Governor's Desk Despite Veto Threats

The New Hampshire House approved a bill to repeal the state’s death penalty Thursday, 223-116, sending the measure to the governor despite his vow to veto it.

 

The legislation, Senate Bill 593, would strike the words “may be punished by death” from the state’s capital punishment statute, replacing them with “shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life without the possibility for parole.” New Hampshire is one of 31 states to have the death penalty, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

 

The measure passed the Senate 14-10 in March, but faces a veto from Gov. Chris Sununu, who said earlier this year that it would send the state “in exactly the wrong direction” and go against the wishes of law enforcement and victims.