LEXINGTON, Ky. — The House State Government Committee advanced Senate Bill 251 on Thursday, moving legislation that would allow the state Department of Corrections to prescribe execution protocols through internal policy rather than lengthy administrative regulations. The measure passed 13-6 out of committee, according to a release from the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission.

The House later passed the bill 68-23, and the Senate previously approved it 27-9. The measure is now on Governor Andy Beshear's desk awaiting action.

Sponsored by Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, SB 251 addresses what supporters characterize as an inefficient regulatory process that has led to repeated litigation and delays. Kentucky has had a pause on executions since 2010, when the Kentucky Supreme Court found that execution protocols were deeply flawed, including failing to sufficiently screen for mental and intellectual disabilities.

West told the committee that the bill addresses procedural issues rather than the death penalty itself. "This bill is less about the death penalty and more about the rule of law and the powers between the branches in Kentucky," West said, explaining that the administrative regulation process frequently takes "18 months, two years" and invites judicial challenges.

Committee members expressed divided views on the measure. Rep. Anne Gay Donworth, D-Lexington, voted against the bill, citing transparency concerns. "We are talking about life and death, and of all times when we need to be open about what we are doing here as a government, I think this is the most critical time we can possibly do it," she said.

Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, similarly opposed the legislation, expressing concerns about wrongful convictions. Tipton filed a floor amendment requiring the Department of Corrections to publish execution protocols on its website, which the House adopted.

A family member of two police officers killed by death row inmate Ralph Baze expressed support for the legislation. "I wholeheartedly support anything, including Senate Bill 251, that will cut down on the intolerable delay in seeing that justice is served for my brother and brother-in-law," the individual wrote in a letter presented to the committee. Kentucky has not executed anyone since 2008, leaving 24 inmates on death row.