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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Republican lawmaker wants Utah to join 19 states and the District of Columbia in abolishing the death penalty, but supporters acknowledge that it's a long shot in the conservative state.
Sen. Steve Urquhart of St. George said Wednesday that the delays and costs associated with executions make it an ineffective punishment. His proposal has not yet been unveiled, but he said he is not sure the government should be in the business of killing people.
"We understand that government is not perfect. And that realization to take upon ourselves the godlike power of life and death — that's something we should really think about," he said.
Urquhart knows there is strong support for capital punishment in Utah, but he said its expense and the chance of wrongful convictions might resonate with his libertarian and conservative colleagues.
A panel of state lawmakers debated the issue in October, weighing whether a repeal would be the most moral and cost-effective path. They didn't take action but brought up a 2012 legislative report that estimated each capital punishment case costs taxpayers about $1.7 million more than a life sentence.
The number was based on the assumption that each inmate spends about 20 years on death row appealing their sentence.
The state's last execution was in 2010, and the nine inmates on death row are all years away from exhausting their appeals.
"In Utah, we almost don't have a death penalty because it happens so infrequently," said Republican Rep. Stephen Handy, who opposes execution.
Handy of Layton called it an important discussion to have but said he doesn't think it will go anywhere this year.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said in October that he's a strong supporter of capital punishment but it should only be used for "the most heinous of crimes." Herbert signed a law last year that bolstered the state's execution policy by ordering that a firing squad be used if lethal injection drugs cannot be obtained.
Urquhart acknowledged that he voted in favor of the firing squad bill, saying that because Utah has capital punishment on the books, "firing squad is as quick and effective as any means."
He said his proposal would allow executions to go forward for the nine people on death row now but remove it as an option for any new convictions. He said he doesn't want to interfere with those pending cases out of concern it will cause further pain for the victims' families.
Providing a sense of justice for victims and their families is a reason to keep the death penalty, said Republican Sen. Lyle Hillyard of Logan. He said he would oppose Urquhart's proposal.
Democratic Sen. Luz Escamilla of Salt Lake City said she would support Urquhart's proposal but didn't know where her Democratic colleagues stood and whether their support might help it pass the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Urquhart said he's been discussing it with his colleagues and thinks it may pass the Senate.
"If you're betting, bet against it," he said. "But I'm kind of optimistic. We are a libertarian state and that leads us to do some interesting things at times."
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Follow Michelle L. Price at https://twitter.com/michellelprice .
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