HB 299 Summary

• Requires jury unanimity and beyond-reasonable-doubt findings on at least one statutory aggravating circumstance before imposing death penalty, consistent with U.S. Supreme Court rulings in Hurst v. Florida and Rauf v. State

• Prohibits death penalty for defendants convicted of "guilty, but mentally ill" and adopts "intellectual disability" terminology from Hall v. Florida and Atkins v. Virginia

• Limits statutory aggravating circumstances to four categories: mass murder (3+ deaths in public place), repeat murder offender, horribly inhumane murder (involving torture or explosives), and hate crimes

• Requires jury to unanimously find that aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt; jury recommendation is not binding on the court

• Allows defendants to file motions claiming intellectual disability at time of crime, which requires court findings and bars death penalty if proven by clear and convincing evidence