Amended Substitute Senate Bill Number 139 - Summary

• Requires court clerks to retain a copy of the original trial file when a death penalty is imposed and deliver the original to the appellate court.

• Eliminates page limits on petitions for postconviction relief in death penalty cases and on appeals challenging denials of such relief.

• Allows depositions, subpoenas, and expanded discovery in postconviction relief proceedings for death penalty cases upon court authorization for good cause shown.

• Extends the amendment period for postconviction relief petitions in death penalty cases from the original filing date to one hundred eighty days after filing.

• Requires judges to state specifically in findings of fact and conclusions of law the reasons why each claim in a death penalty postconviction relief petition was either denied or granted.