A bill that would require a unanimous decision for death penalty cases made it through a key hurdle in the Florida Senate Monday.
The Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice passed Senate Bill 280, 6-0.
Currently the law requires at least 10 jurors to determine if a defendant should be sentenced to death. But the Florida Supreme Court has said that is unconstitutional.
SB 280 instead requires a unanimous jury in order to recommend the death sentence.
If a jury is not unanimous, the jury can recommend a life sentence without parole.
The bill is next going to the Senate Rules Committee. If it passes there it will head to the Florida Senate floor.
A similar bill is working its way through the Florida House.