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HB 5689

AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Chippendale and 6 co-sponsors

HB 5689 reinstates the death penalty, defining offenses and sentencing rules, and expanding appeals and execution procedures, affecting defendants, victims, and state costs.

04/02/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 5689

Bill Summary — HB 5689

Title: AN ACT REINSTATING THE DEATH PENALTY
Bill No.: HB 5689
Subject: Capital punishment
Introduced: April 24, 2025
Current status (record): Referred to Joint Committee on Judiciary (per header); committee activity and chamber votes recorded (see timeline).
Companion bill: SB 3052

Purpose / Intent

The bill’s title states its core purpose: to reinstate the death penalty in state law. The document text for the bill was not provided here, so this summary describes the bill’s stated intent and the typical statutory elements such legislation would address. Where the exact language is unavailable, the summary flags uncertainties and lists the provisions a reinstatement measure commonly contains.

Key elements likely to be included (text not provided)

Because the bill text is not included in the materials supplied, the following are the types of provisions a reinstatement act usually contains and should be checked in the actual bill:
- Specification of which offenses are punishable by death (e.g., first-degree murder with enumerated aggravating factors).
- Definition of aggravating and mitigating circumstances for sentencing.
- Sentencing procedures (jury unanimity requirements, separate penalty-phase trial).
- Post-conviction and direct appeal procedures and timelines.
- Provisions on methods of execution and administrative procedures for carrying out a sentence.
- Rules on retroactivity (whether previously commuted sentences are affected).
- Executive clemency and commutation procedures.
- Conforming amendments to related statutes (criminal procedure, corrections, victim notification).
- Effective date and transitional provisions.

Because the bill text is not available here, readers should consult the full bill and committee report for exact definitions, thresholds, and procedural safeguards included.

Who would be affected

  • Defendants convicted of qualifying capital offenses (current and future cases if retroactivity is applied).
  • Victims’ families and survivors.
  • Prosecutors (charging discretion, plea bargaining dynamics).
  • Public defenders and private defense counsel (capital defense workload).
  • Courts (expanded direct appeals and post-conviction litigation).
  • Departments of Corrections (facilities, protocols, costs).
  • State budget (defense, prosecution, incarceration, appeals, execution logistics).
  • Civil liberties, victims’ rights, religious, and advocacy organizations.

Procedural / Timeline notes (selected actions)

  • 2025-04-24: Bill filed and read first time.
  • 2025-05-06: Public hearing; testimony recorded; left pending that day.
  • 2025-05-10 to 05-27: Committee considered, reported favorably without amendment, recommended to local & uncontested calendar.
  • 2025-05-21: Read 2nd and 3rd time, passed, engrossed (records show votes and journal entries on this date).
  • 2025-05-22: Received from the House (suggesting chamber transmission).
  • 2025-05-27–05-28: Placed on and removed from local & uncontested calendar; additional procedural steps noted.
    Note: Records show multiple chamber and committee actions; consult the legislature’s bill tracking page for an authoritative, up-to-date status and the official bill text.

Potential legal and policy impacts

  • Likely to prompt constitutional and procedural litigation (Eighth Amendment and state-equivalent challenges).
  • Increased costs from capital trials, extended appeals, and execution protocols; empirical research shows capital cases typically cost more than non-capital prosecutions.
  • Changes in plea bargaining patterns and prosecutorial charging decisions.
  • Potential disproportionate impacts on marginalized groups; racial and socioeconomic disparities are a common concern in capital sentencing.
  • Political and public debate implications; reinstatement measures often trigger intense advocacy and media attention.

Practical next steps for readers

  • Review the full bill text and the committee report (legislative website or clerk’s office) to confirm specific offenses, procedures, and effective dates.
  • Check fiscal notes/agency analyses for estimated budget impacts.
  • Monitor the Joint Committee on Judiciary docket and floor calendars for further action and potential amendments.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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