DEATH PENALTY REPEAL CLEARS FIRST COMMITTEE

The House Consumer & Public Affairs Committee minutes ago voted 5-2 to give a do-pass recommendation to HB285, which would abolish the death penalty.

It was a straight party vote with Dems voting yes and Republicans voting no.

No big surprise. This committee always clears this bill. In fact in recent tries, the entire House of Representatives votes for it. It's Senate Judiciary that normally stomps on it.

But bill sponsor Gail Chasey, D-Albquerque, told me after the vote that she's confident the bill will make it through Senate Judiciary.

Watch for my story in The New Mexican Friday.