State Del. Marcus B. Simon of Falls Church has introduced HB 100 to end the secrecy around the distribution and acquisition of drugs used for executions in Virginia, his office announced Wednesday. The bill would repeal legislation that passed the General Assembly during the 2017 Session after an extremely contentious vote.
“Transparency should be a priority at all levels of government. Shrouding executions in secrecy erodes public trust and the death penalty is controversial enough with adding this to it,” said Delegate Simon. State Sen. Scott Surovell said,”The public has a right to know how their money is being spent and where it is going. The state-sanctioned taking of a life is among the most consequential acts a government can take and requires maximum transparency, not secrecy.”
“Until we join the rest of the industrialized Western democracies and abolish the death penalty we ought to shine as much light onto just how these lethal cocktails are concocted,” said Del. Paul Krizek.
The 2018 General Assembly Session begins on Jan. 10.
