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Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, introduced a bill on Thursday (August 13) aimed at reinstating the death penalty in Washington, D.C. The proposed legislation, known as the Restoring the Death Penalty in DC Act, would allow capital punishment for crimes such as first-degree murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, first-degree child sexual abuse, and certain acts of terrorism.
The bill also includes provisions for the death penalty in cases involving weapons of mass destruction and the distribution of controlled substances to minors resulting in death. According to 7News, Mace stated, "Our nation's capital will not be a safe haven for the most violent criminals in America."
The legislation outlines that a death sentence would not be automatic. Instead, a separate sentencing hearing would consider aggravating and mitigating factors to determine if capital punishment is justified. If imposed, electrocution would be the default method of execution, although the condemned could choose alternatives like lethal injection or firing squad.
The death penalty in D.C. was repealed in 1981, and a 1992 attempt to reinstate it was rejected by voters. Mace's proposal comes amid her ongoing push for tougher capital punishment laws, as noted by ABC News 4.