11. He championed passage of a bill that would ban executions of the mentally retarded, which Gov. Rick Perry vetoed. 12. He opposed bills to give juries in capital murder cases an option of life without parole and to ban the execution of persons deemed to be mentally retarded. 13. He made a big step toward solving that problem when he vetoed legislation to ban the execution of the mentally retarded. 14. If that is a reason to ban executions, it is a reason to ban all punishment. 15. In the last legislative session in Texas, the State Senate passed a bill that would have banned such executions. 16. It follows a landmark ruling last week in which the high court banned executions of the mentally retarded. 17. It would have banned executions of the mentally retarded. 18. Meanwhile, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday he is still pondering whether to sign a bill the state legislature passed recently that would ban such executions. 19. Morales criticized Sanchez for supporting a bill that would have banned the execution of mentally retarded inmates. 20. One member of the commission, attorney James Bush, suggested that the commission urge legislators to pass a law banning the execution of retarded killers. |