Idaho Law Increasing Secrecy of Executions Stalled

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Proposed legislation to broadly expand the secrecy surrounding Idaho executions has been put on hold in the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee.

Sen. Marv Hagedorn told The Spokesman-Review Monday evening that he's not ready to grant a hearing to the bill from the Idaho Department of Correction. Hagadorn, a Republican from Meridian who is the acting chairman of the committee, said he heard from several people who were concerned that the scope of the bill was too broad.

The bill would have made it illegal for the department to turn over execution records in response to subpoenas or other court-related inquiries. It also would have specifically kept any documents involving the source of lethal execution drugs confidential and exempt from release under the Idaho Public Records Act.