The state Senate has insisted that it seriously doesn't want to talk about repealing the Death Penalty any more, thank you very much:
After little debate, the New Hampshire Senate has squelched a second attempt this session by opponents of the death penalty to repeal the state's capital punishment statute. A bill stalled in the Senate on a 12-12 vote last month. The House then passed a second bill repealing capital punishment, but the Senate voted it down Thursday on a voice vote. The Senate action leaves the death penalty statute unchanged.
Before the vote, Sen. David Pierce, a Hanover Democrat, urged his colleagues to repeal the death penalty."There is no evidence the death penalty keeps us safe," he said. Pierce argued that people make mistakes and that means innocent people are executed as a result.
But Senate Republican Leader Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro said the Senate had thoroughly debated the issue and deadlocked. He urged the chamber to put the issue to rest for the session.
Death penalty opponents vowed to fight for repeal in a future session."The strong showing we had this year demonstrates that the issue of death penalty repeal is not going away. It's not a matter of whether it will happen, but when," said Barbara Keshen, board chair of the New Hampshire Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
Better luck next year.