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HR 596 102th Congress House

To require that the death penalty be imposed on individuals convicted of certain crimes in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 22, 1991 See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Capital punishmentCorrectional personnelDistrict of ColumbiaHomicide
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Judicial reviewLaw enforcement officersLegal assistance to the poorMurderNarcotic trafficNondiscrimination provisionsReligious libertyRight to counselSentences (Criminal procedure)
This bill died when the 102nd Congress ended
It never became law before the 102nd Congress (1991–1992) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 6, 1991
Referred to the Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education.
Jan 22, 1991
Referred to the House Committee on District of Columbia.
Jan 22, 1991
Introduced in House
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 Latest action February 6, 1991

Referred to the Subcommittee on Judiciary and Education.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Subjects to execution persons who, within the District of Columbia: (1) commit first degree murder; (2) murder a law enforcement officer while such officer is engaged in official duties or because of the status of an individual as an officer; or (3) engage in conduct during the course of a continuing criminal enterprise and thereby knowingly cause an individual's death.

Directs the Government to notify the defendant a reasonable amount of time before trial or the court's acceptance of a guilty plea of its intent to seek the death penalty. Requires that, once a guilty verdict is rendered, a separate sentencing hearing be held at which there must be a unanimous finding, that, in addition to murder, specified aggravating factors, such as a previous murder conviction, commission of the murder for money, or torture of the victim, exist which outweigh specified mitigating factors and justify execution.

Requires that the jury be notified that regardless of its findings it is never required to impose the death sentence and that it may not consider the race, color, religious beliefs, national origin or sex of the defendant or victim in passing sentence.

Prohibits the execution of minors, the mentally retarded, or certain mentally disabled individuals.

Authorizes a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for a capital crime.

Sets forth death sentence appeal rights.

Affords indigent defendants charged with a capital crime the benefit of an experienced criminal attorney until the execution of judgment.

Prohibits correctional employees from being forced to participate in an execution that is against their moral or religious convictions.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 596: To require that the death penalty be imposed on individuals convicted of certain crimes in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.. 102nd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-596/
MLA
"H.R. 596: To require that the death penalty be imposed on individuals convicted of certain crimes in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.." 102nd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-596/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 596, 102nd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-596/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 596: To require that the death penalty be imposed on individuals convicted of certain crimes in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.](https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-596/)
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