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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire House has taken a big step toward eliminating the state's death penalty by overriding the governor's veto.
The chamber on Thursday overrode Gov. Chris Sununu's veto of a repeal with the bare minimum votes necessary to send the issue back to the Senate.
The Senate voted 17-6 in favor of repeal last month. If that tally holds, the bill will become law.
New Hampshire's death penalty applies in only seven scenarios, and the state hasn't executed anyone since 1939. There is only one inmate currently on death row. The repeal bill is not supposed to apply retroactively to Michael Addison, who killed a police officer in 2006. But capital punishment supporters argue courts might interpret it differently.
The Republican governor vetoed the bill last month.
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This story has been corrected to show that the New Hampshire House voted to override the veto with the minimum number of votes required, not with one more than necessary, per updated guidance from the chamber.
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