Removing the Death from Death Penalty

Welcome to the great state of Illinois, where, if you kill someone, you might get off with thirty to life, and consider yourself lucky for that. After ten years worth of debating, the state legislature voted to end the Death Penalty. The move is especially noteworthy, as the bill passed just hours before the new lawmakers were to be sworn in. It is now up to the governor, Patrick Quinn, to decide whether or not to sign the bill. If he does, Illinois would become the sixteenth state to outlaw the Death Penalty. It passed the Senate 32 to 25, and the House passed it 60 to 54. No executions have been done since Republican governor, George Ryan, ended up commuting the sentences of those on Death Row in 2000.