(WHTM) — Time is running out for lawmakers to fix the state’s felony second-degree murder statute after the Supreme Court ruled in March that mandatory life sentences are unconstitutional.
Senate Republicans have a bill, House Democrats have a bill, but neither has reached the Governor’s desk.
“The failure to fix the sentence for second-degree felony murder in our state law has introduced confusion and uncertainty,” said Republican state senator Lisa Baker.
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The Senate has twice passed a bill with new second-degree sentencing guidelines, and for at least the third time, is calling on the House to actually move on it.
“It is time, with these few days left for the House to do their jobs and protect Pennsylvanians, ” said Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan Sayers.
Senate Bill 1400 has a 35-year mandatory minimum and was passed back in June with bipartisan support.
The bill is supported by Attorney General Dave Sunday, as well as District Attorneys and other law enforcement across the state — but it doesn’t have the support of Democrats in the House, notably judiciary chair state representative Tim Briggs, who has his own bill to tackle the issue.
Back in July, he explained why his is different than the Senate version.
“The court, in their opinion, was very opposed to just a blanket life [sentence]. ‘Everyone that second degree murder gets life without parole.’ They thought that was unnecessarily cruel and unconstitutional. I think just setting a blanket mandatory minimum is just the same approach. I want judges to be able to look at all the facts,” Briggs said.
But as the clock runs out, House Republicans say they haven’t heard from him or his Democratic colleagues…
“They know what our position is. And unfortunately, they have chosen not to pursue the bipartisan bill that we’ve put forward. Instead, sending us a bill that has never been vetted in the Senate,” Baker said.
abc27 has made numerous attempts to contact Rep. Briggs, who has not yet responded.
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