Senate Passes Bill To End Death Penalty For Mentally Ill

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(Richmond)- A proposal to end the death penalty for the severely mentally ill is heading to the House of Delegates for consideration.  The measure passed the state Senate yesterday.  Rockingham Republican Mark Obenshain says lawmakers should just be debating whether or not to get rid of capital punishment as a whole.  More inmates have been put to death in Virginia than any other state except Texas since 1976.  Fairfax Democrat Scott Surovell said it would probably affect only one case per decade.