To the editor:
Will our State legislators stand firm to repeal the death penalty, or will some capitulate to political pressures? Concord is on the verge of declaring whether we are a State of reasoning thinkers or of gut responders. House Bill 455, which ends capital punishment in our State, will be finalized — or killed — by a vote on Thursday, May 23.
HB455 recently passed both chambers with more than the 2/3 needed to override a veto by the Governor. It’s the second year in a row that our legislators have approved repealing the death penalty — and is now the second year in a row that Governor Sununu has vetoed their decision to honor the sacrifice of a fallen police officer and his family.
The pros and cons are easy to research online, and the weight of reason and benefits to society, and specifically for taxpayers, is very much on the side of life imprisonment vs. execution. However, overriding this faulty veto is not in the bag.
On Thursday, our State Representatives and Senators will vote again — whether to override the veto. It’s unclear if the rematch will go the same way. I hope and plead that our legislators stand firm for a better path forward, and not capitulate to political pressures. Please stand firm! Please support repealing the death penalty in New Hampshire!
Danis Collett
Peterborough