BOISE, Idaho — A bill that would change Idaho's lethal injection laws by providing confidentiality in where lethal injection drugs are acquired passed the House Thursday inside the Statehouse.
The House voted 38-30 in favor of Republican Rep. Greg Chaney's legislation on lethal injections and it now moves over to the Senate.
The bill looks to protect those carrying out the death penalty from backlash. Those in favor of the bill say without it, the state won't be able to carry out executions.
“This bill does not prevent the disclosure of the qualifications of those involved in the execution process. It only prevents the disclosure of the identity,” Chaney said during the debate.
Those against the bill say the public should be accessible to the identities of those involved in the execution process.
“The government shouldn’t have the right to kill people using secret means and methods and practices,” Democrat Rep. Colin Nash of Boise said.
Idaho already has an administrative rule providing anonymity for suppliers, but with the bill, it would be placed into law.
The Idaho Department of Corrections says they're currently unable to carry out the death penalty because companies that sell the drugs used for lethal injection won't sell them unless they're guaranteed anonymity.
