TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida House inched closer to the Senate on a bill that seeks to fix the state's death penalty after the U.S. Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.
The House amended its death penalty bill (HB 7101) Wednesday to require that at least 10 of 12 jurors recommend execution for it to be imposed. The bill previously would have allowed a 9-3 juror vote for a death sentence.
A Senate bill (SB 7068) would require a unanimous jury decision.
The Legislature is rewriting the death penalty law after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that the current method is unconstitutional because it allows judges to reach a different decision than juries, which has only an advisory role in recommending death.
