Dear House Speaker Chopp, Please bring SB 6052 to a floor vote this week. There is bipartisan support. Across the U.S. legislators who have voted for repeal did not lose their elected seats. Support for the death penalty is at an all-time low. The prime sponsor of the bill is a Republican from Walla Walla - the location of Washington's death house. Republican King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has come out strongly for abolition. The death penalty in Washington is very costly, is not applied fairly, and fails either to provide swift and certain justice or to deter crime. Instead of trying to fix an unfixable system, the legislature should repeal the death penalty. Speaker Chopp, please show ethical and courageous leadership and call this bill to a vote this week as necessary to implement the budget, or suspend rules to make a vote a reality. |