House Criminal Justice Subcommittee approves HB 653
Today, the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee heard HB 653, which seeks to add an aggravating factor to Florida’s capital sentencing scheme. The bill passed the Subcommittee with a vote of 16-0.
This afternoon, the Florida House Criminal Justice Subcommittee heard HB 653, which seeks to add an aggravating factor to Florida’s capital sentencing scheme for capital felonies committed against heads of state:
My original post on this legislation can be found here.
Rep. Skidmore asked a question about the assassination attempt at Mar-a-Lago that is being investigated by federal authorities. Rep. Holcomb responded and said he wasn’t here to talk about federal laws.
Rep. Hart asked the justification for the bill if federal law already provides for penalties related to assassination attempts. Rep. Holcomb responded that the purpose is deterrence. “If you’re going to” do something like this, “choose somewhere else, not Florida.”
Rep. Barnaby commented in support of the bill, and Rep. Holcomb waived close.
The bill passed the Subcommittee with a vote of 16-0.
A video of the hearing can be accessed on the Subcommittee’s page here.