MO HB1420

Creates a 10-member Commission on the Death Penalty within the Office of Administration, comprising legislative members (2 from House, 2 from Senate), prosecutors, defense lawyers, public defender, attorney general, and victim/death row family members, with equal representation of death penalty supporters and opponents.

Commission must hold public hearings throughout the state and conduct comprehensive review of all death penalty cases from January 1, 1977 forward, analyzing factors including defendant/victim demographics, attorney experience, evidence quality, appellate outcomes, and costs of prosecution and defense.

Commission shall study alternatives to capital punishment and report findings and recommendations to the governor, legislature, and Missouri Supreme Court by January 1, 2015.

Commission must recommend statutory and court rule amendments to ensure defendants sentenced to death are guilty, have adequate counsel and resources, that race does not influence sentencing decisions, appellate procedures are fair, and prosecutors use consistent criteria for seeking death penalty.

Imposes a moratorium on all executions from the effective date through January 1, 2015, though all capital case proceedings and post-conviction motions continue without appointment of execution dates during the moratorium.