H 4240 General Bill, By Harrison
 A Bill to amend Section 24-3-530, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976,
 relating to capital punishment by electrocution, so as to provide for the
 execution of the death penalty by the intravenous injection of a lethal drug
 instead of by electrocution and delete certain language; and 24-3-540,
 relating to the death chamber and the expenses incurred in transporting the
 criminal to the place of execution, so as to, among other things, delete the
 reference to electrocution.

   01/22/92  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-7
   01/22/92  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-7

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTIONS 24-3-530, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO CAPITAL PUNISHMENT BY ELECTROCUTION, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE DEATH PENALTY BY THE INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF A LETHAL DRUG INSTEAD OF BY ELECTROCUTION AND DELETE CERTAIN LANGUAGE; AND 24-3-540, RELATING TO THE DEATH CHAMBER AND THE EXPENSES INCURRED IN TRANSPORTING THE CRIMINAL TO THE PLACE OF EXECUTION, SO AS TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, DELETE THE REFERENCE TO ELECTROCUTION.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 24-3-530 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 24-3-530. All persons convicted of capital crime and having imposed upon them the sentence of death shall suffer such the penalty by electrocution within the walls of the State Penitentiary at Columbia under the direction of the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections instead of by hanging at any time before the hour of sunrise on the day set for the execution but not less than thirty days from the day of sentence, as the court may adjudge, by the continuous intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultrashort-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent until death is pronounced by a licensed physician according to acceptable standards of medical practice."

SECTION 2. Section 24-3-540 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 24-3-540. The Board of Corrections shall provide a death chamber and all necessary appliances equipment for inflicting such the penalty by electrocution and pay the costs thereof of it out of any funds in its hands. The expense of transporting any such criminal to the State Penitentiary shall be borne by the county in which the offense was committed."

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.