Nebraska's legislature has
voted to repeal the state's death penalty by what should be a veto-proof margin. The vote was 32 to 15, and 30 votes are needed to overcome the expected veto from Gov. Pete Ricketts.
The Nebraska legislature is unicameral and officially nonpartisan, though party affiliations aren't exactly a secret. That being the case:
What made this year’s repeal effort different from those in the past was the support from a significant number of Republican senators.
Conservative lawmakers who voted for repeal cited higher costs of carrying out a death sentence versus life in prison. Some mentioned they have come to oppose the death penalty because of religious reasons, while others raised concerns about executing people who were wrongfully convicted.
"I’m pro-life from conception until when God calls somebody home," said Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue. "I’m not going to quibble over innocent life versus those who are guilty for what they have done. This is a matter of conscience."
Nebraska has 11 people on death row and its last execution was in 1997.