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Lawmakers hear hours of testimony as sponsor seeks to make offenses against minors death‑eligible under HB 17‑30
Summary
Representatives and a long line of witnesses debated House Bill 17‑30, which would make sexual penetration or contact offenses against minors under 16 potentially death‑eligible; witnesses raised constitutional, fiscal, reporting and statutory drafting concerns and urged alternatives including life‑without‑parole and stronger victim services.
Representative John Sweeney introduced House Bill 17‑30 as an expansion of capital punishment to cover all offenses against minors involving penetration or contact, saying those crimes are so heinous “I firmly do not believe that somebody can commit a crime against a child in the manner defined in this bill and be rehabilitated” and that penalties should include life or, in some cases, death by jury and judge determination.
The committee heard hours of public testimony. Survivors and family members—including Marnia Cushing Page—spoke emotionally against reinstating executions, saying life sentences had provided them closure. “The death penalty is murder, period. It is state‑sanctioned killing,” Page testified. Several clergy and faith leaders, including the Reverend Zachary Harmon, framed opposition in moral terms, warning that executions normalize violence.
Experts and advocates pressed factual and legal concerns.…
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