A bill that would repeal Wyoming’s death penalty won preliminary approval from Wyoming’s House on Wednesday.
HB 145 would make life without the possibility of parole the harshest sentence that could be handed down in the state. It was approved in its “Committee of the Whole” review — the first time a bill is reviewed by all House members. It now moves to its second of three readings in the House.
Bill sponsors have argued the measure will save the state money, given the number of appeals that usually accompany a death sentence. Opponents maintain the bill takes a tool away from prosecutors.