Bill To Divert Death-Penalty Funds Wins Approval

April 11, 2007

Colorado

Bill To Divert Death-Penalty Funds Wins Approval

The Associated Press

DENVER - The House Appropriations Committee approved a bill on Wednesday
that would reduce the number of prosecutors working on death penalty cases
and use the savings to solve old cases, including 1,200 unsolved homicides
since 1970.

Rep. Paul Weissmann, D-Louisville, said the state could save millions of
dollars yearly that is spent prosecuting and defending death penalty cases.
He said the money could be better spent catching criminals still walking the
streets.

Weissmann originally tried to abolish the death penalty but agreed to an
amendment that would reduce the number of prosecutors to two in the attorney
general's office, equal to the number of convicted killers on Colorado's
death row.

The legislation (House Bill 1094) would use the savings to help finance the
forensics unit, chemistry lab and a cold-case unit in the Colorado Bureau of
Investigation. It would also allow local law enforcement agencies and
relatives of victims to request help solving old cases.

The bill now goes to the full House for debate.

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Source : The Associated Press

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_101105748.html


Congratulation to :

PAUL WEISSMANN
Colorado State Representative, District 12
Office Location: 200 E. Colfax
Denver, CO 80203
Capitol Phone: (303)866-2920
E-Mail: reppaul@aol.com