The New Hampshire House took a major step toward repealing the state's death penalty Thursday morning.
On a 247-123 vote, the House cleared the two-thirds majority necessary to override Gov. Chris Sununu's veto of a death penalty repeal bill.
The state Senate will now schedule its own veto override vote, likely next week. The Senate passed the repeal bill in April by a 17-6 vote.
New Hampshire is the only state in New England that still has a capital punishment law on the books.
In a statement Thursday, Sununu criticized the House's veto override as a “rushed, politically motivated process.”
“I will always fight for what I believe because it is simply the right thing to do," Sununu said. "I hope the Senate will listen to law enforcement, families of crime victims, and advocates for justice and not abolish capital punishment.”
(This is a developing story and this post will be updated.)
