Nebraska governor vetoes death penalty repeal in face of likely override

(Reuters) - Nebraska's governor on Tuesday vetoed a bill to repeal the death penalty, although lawmakers backing the measure have enough votes to override it. Appearing with relatives of crime victims, Republican Pete Ricketts told a news conference he was taking the action in the interests of public safety. The bill passed last week by a 32-15 vote in the state's unicameral, nonpartisan legislature, with two abstentions. Nebraska is a heavily Republican state, both in local and national elections, and conservatives have generally supported the death penalty in the United States. But state lawmakers said they had turned against the death penalty for a number of reasons, including religious reservations, the difficulty the state has in obtaining drugs used for lethal injections and the risk of wrongful convictions. Nebraska carried out its last execution in 1997, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. "Nebraskans expect public officials to strengthen public safety, not weaken it," said Ricketts, who said he was talking with senators about sustaining his veto. He said a repeal "sends the message to criminals that Nebraska will be soft on crime." Last week's vote was the third time the law was debated and passed. All bills in Nebraska go through three votes in the legislature. Overriding a governor's veto requires a two-thirds vote. The veto override session is set for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, said state Senator Ernie Chambers, who backs the repeal bill. "Conservatives across the country are deciding that the death penalty is a failed government program," Chambers said in an interview. Senators who support the death penalty said the state would be losing a valuable tool to punish the most heinous crimes, including attacks and bombings with multiple victims. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 18 states have no death penalty versus 32 states that do. Nebraska reinstated the death penalty in 1973 and has executed three people since 1976. Ten people are currently on Nebraska's Death Row. An 11th inmate, Michael Ryan, convicted of two 1985 murders, died in custody on Sunday, local media reported. Debate about the death penalty in the United States has been revived in recent years after a number of botched executions in which condemned inmates suffered for some time before dying. States have also struggled to obtain the drugs for lethal injections, with European suppliers refusing to sell the drugs if they are being used for executions. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski in Chicago; Editing by Peter Cooney)