Democrat Senate Co-president shuts down death penalty debate

The Democrat who’s Senate Co-President has used his power to table a proposal to reinstate capitol punishment in Iowa. Senate Co-President Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, says it’s over the line to add the death penalty for child killers to a bill that toughens penalties for sex offenders was over the line. “They need to go back to committee with the death penalty issue,” Kibbie says. “If they want to broaden the scope of this bill, they need to go some other route than the route they used this morning.” Republicans who support the death penalty expressed outrage. Senate Co-Leader Stewart Iverson, a Republican from Dows, says Kibbie is improperly using Senate procedure. “And I think it’s short-changing the people of Iowa not even to have the discussion,” Iverson says.McKibben and other Republicans intend to try to redraft their death penalty proposal so it could meet Kibbie’s parliamentary standard and be eligible for debate. But that’s a rather moot point, too, since Senate Co-Leader Mike Gronstal, a Democrat from Council Bluffs, vows to use HIS power to derail a death penalty debate if it comes to that.