TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Kansas legislator who opposes capital punishment won’t get the study he wants of the costs of the death penalty.
House Republican Steven Becker is a retired trial judge from Buhler. He has introduced legislation to repeal the death penalty statute and sought an audit of its costs.
Kansas Public Radio reports the Legislative Post Audit Committee decided Tuesday against pursuing Becker’s request.
The committee’s vice chair, Sen. Jeff Longbine, says there aren’t enough resources to approve all requested audits. But Longbine also says a death penalty audit could be considered in the future.
Kansas has not performed any executions since reinstating capital punishment in 1994.
Becker wants to know how much capital cases cost the state and local governments, and how much could be saved by eliminating the death sentence.
