(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – This March 22, 1995, file photo shows the interior of the execution chamber in the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind. Activists widely expected President Joe Biden to take swift action against the death penalty as the first sitting president to oppose capital punishment, especially since an unprecedented spate of executions by his predecessor ended just days before Biden took office. Instead, the White House has been mostly silent. (AP Photo/Chuck Robinson, File)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Bipartisan momentum is building around a bill that would abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania. Kathleen Lucas with Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty says Republican Representative Russ Diamond, known for his conservative views, introduced House Bill 888 with support from both parties. Lucas notes that while no vote has been scheduled yet, the bill represents a significant step toward ending capital punishment in Pennsylvania. Lucas points out the state’s moratorium on the death penalty, first issued by Governor Wolf, remains active under Governor Josh Shapiro. She adds that a similar bill, House Bill 999, cleared the House Judiciary Committee last session and had been introduced before by Representative Chris Rabb. Pennsylvania’s death row declined from 246 people in 2001 to 175 by mid-2016.