Bill > HB815

This bill modifies Virginia's law regarding the method of execution for individuals sentenced to death. Currently, the prisoner can choose between electrocution or lethal injection, with lethal injection being the default if the prisoner doesn't make a choice 15 days before the scheduled execution. This bill introduces a provision that if the Director of the Department of Corrections certifies that lethal injection is unavailable, electrocution will be used instead, and vice versa. However, the Director cannot certify that lethal injection is unavailable unless they have made genuine efforts to obtain the necessary lethal substances. Additionally, the bill allows the Director to contract with pharmacies or outsourcing facilities for the compounding of drugs needed for lethal injection, exempting these activities and the involved parties from certain regulations and public disclosure requirements, including the Freedom of Information Act, to protect their identities and ensure the supply of execution drugs.