Idaho Rep. Bruce D. Skaug, R-Nampa, at the State Capitol building on January 9, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)
A Nampa legislator wants to make death by firing squad the primary way of administering the death penalty in Idaho.
Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, introduced the legislation to the Idaho House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee on Tuesday. The committee voted to introduce the legislation, clearing the way for a public hearing before the committee at a later date.
Lethal injection is the primary way of administering the death penalty in Idaho. Death by firing squad became legal in Idaho in 2022, when Skaug successfully sponsored House Bill 186 and Gov. Brad Little signed it into law, citing challenges in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
During the 2022 legislative session, the Idaho Legislature passed House Bill 658, which gives the suppliers and manufacturers of lethal injection chemicals confidentiality. That law, which Little signed in March 2022, also prevents that confidential information from being disclosed in court filings, the Sun previously reported.
Skaug said his new bill would not take effect until July 2026 to give the Idaho Department of Correction time to refurbish a facility for firing squad purposes. It would have no fiscal impact to the state’s budget, Skaug said, because the 2022 legislation already appropriated $750,000 to the Department of Correction to refurbish the facility.
“This bill is not about whether the death penalty is good or bad …” Skaug told the committee. “Our job is to make sure to carry out the most efficient manner under the bounds of the Constitution.”
There are nine people on death row in Idaho, according to the Idaho Department of Correction’s website.
This story was originally published by the Idaho Capital Sun which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.