A Republican state lawmaker wants Utah to join 19 states and the District of Columbia in abolishing the death penalty, but supporters of the idea acknowledge it's a longshot in the conservative state.
The proposal from Sen. Steve Urquhart has not yet bene unveiled. The Republican lawmaker from St. George says it would allow executions to go forward for the nine people on death row in Utah.
Urquhart said he doesn't want to interfere with those cases out of concern for the family members of victims.
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But he says the delays and costs associated with executions make it an ineffective punishment and he's not sure the government should be in the business of killing people.