COLOMBIA, SC – South Carolina senators have added a firing squad to the electric chair as an alternative if the state cannot execute convicted convicts by lethal injection.
The Senate then passed the bill on Tuesday in a key 32-11 vote, with several Democrats joining Republicans on the proposal that would allow South Carolina to resume executions after almost 10 years.
The state was forced to postpone the executions because its supply of lethal injectable drugs had expired and it was unable to buy more. The companies that produce the drugs have refused to sell them to the states for use in executions in recent years.
Currently, eight other states can use electric chairs for use in executions. Utah, Oklahoma and Mississippi allow firing squads.
The House is considering a similar bill without the firing squad option, but may consider the Senate version after a procedural vote by senators finalizes the bill later this week.