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The death penalty in Ohio appears to be on the ropes.
First, Gov. Mike DeWine late last year put a moratorium on all state executions for 2021, citing difficulty in getting a drug for lethal injections.
Now both houses of the state Legislature have taken up bills to repeal Ohio’s death penalty law.
Senate Bill 103, co-sponsored by Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, is being debated by the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, while House Bill 183 has seen debate in three separate House committees.
Multiple efforts over several days to reach Rulli for his comments on why he is one of 11 senators backing the repeal of the death penalty were unsuccessful.
Currently the House bill, which has no local co-sponsors, is being debated by the criminal justice panel.
While lawmakers debate, lobbying efforts are lining up on both sides of the issue. Emotion is playing a key role in the arguments from both sides.
Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator.