Source:
ReutersIllinois House passes death penalty ban, Senate nextThu Jan 6, 2011 11:18pm EST
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Illinois House on Thursday voted to ban the death penalty, moving the measure on to the Senate a decade after a moratorium on executions was put into place by former Governor George Ryan.
Thursday night's vote came after a first vote failed, according to Illinois State Representative Elaine Nekritz, a Democrat who voted in favor of the ban. The final vote was 60-54 in favor of the ban.
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Ryan ordered the moratorium in January 2000 following a series of revelations that more than a dozen people had been sent to Death Row who were later found to be innocent.
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If the bill is approved in the state senate it still must go to Governor Pat Quinn, who has said he continues to favor the death penalty for the worst crimes, according to local media reports.
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