Nebraska lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill abolishing the death penalty, with enough votes to override a promised veto from Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.
The 32-15 vote was bolstered by conservative senators who oppose capital punishment for fiscal, religious and pragmatic reasons.
If that vote holds in a veto override, Nebraska would become the first conservative state to repeal the death penalty since 1973.
Nebraska hasn't executed a prisoner since 1997, and some lawmakers have argued that constant legal challenges will prevent the state from doing so again.
Ricketts has vowed a veto, and announced last week that the state has bought new lethal injection drugs to resume executions.
Maryland was the last state to abolish capital punishment, in 2013. Thirty-two states have death penalty laws.
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