Bill > HB140

This bill establishes a new chapter in the Code of Criminal Procedure that restricts the death penalty for individuals with severe mental illness, defined as those with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder who have active psychotic symptoms that substantially impair their capacity to appreciate the nature, consequences, or wrongfulness of their conduct or exercise rational judgment. The bill requires the defendant to provide notice of their intention to raise the issue of severe mental illness and for a jury to determine if the defendant meets the criteria. If the jury finds the defendant was a person with severe mental illness at the time of the offense, the judge must sentence the defendant to life imprisonment without parole instead of the death penalty.