Is this statement true: Indiana passed House Bill 1119 which allows for lethal gas chambers and firing squads.
Executive summary
The claim that “Indiana passed House Bill 1119 which allows for lethal gas chambers and firing squads” is not supported by the available reporting: HB 1119 was introduced to add firing squads and nitrogen hypoxia as execution options but was amended to remove nitrogen hypoxia and remained in flux as it moved through committees and the full House faced conflicting votes and reporting about its fate [1] [2] [3].
1. What HB 1119 would have done on paper
The original text of HB 1119, authored by Rep. Jim Lucas, would have authorized executions by firing squad and by lethal gas using nitrogen hypoxia alongside lethal injection, with the Department of Correction commissioner empowered to choose the method and the state required to create protocols and facilities for the new methods [1] [4].
2. Committee progress and amendments that changed the bill
The bill passed out of the Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee—8 to 5—and was amended during that process, with the committee initially advancing both firing squad and nitrogen hypoxia as alternatives to lethal injection [2] [5]; however, lawmakers later voted to remove nitrogen hypoxia from the bill in a 58-32 floor amendment, leaving firing squad and lethal injection as the options in the pending measure [3].
3. Conflicting accounts about whether the House “passed” the bill
Local coverage and advocacy groups paint mixed pictures: some outlets reported that the House narrowly rejected a firing-squad measure, suggesting defeat in a final vote [6] [7], while other reporting framed the measure as having failed but subject to another vote or further action—headlines like “Firing squad bill fails. Here’s why Indiana lawmakers could vote again” reflect ongoing maneuvering rather than a clear, final enactment into law [8]. BillTrack50 and legislative summaries still list the bill’s projected provisions and an effective date, indicating the text exists and legislation progressed through stages, but those entries do not alone confirm final passage into law [4].
4. Who opposed and who pushed it — and why it matters
Supporters framed the measure as a pragmatic response to difficulties securing lethal-injection drugs and as an option for the Department of Correction, while critics—ranging from the ACLU of Indiana to faith leaders—characterized the bill as inhumane and an escalation of state power, warning about secrecy and constitutional concerns; the ACLU specifically flagged both firing squads and nitrogen hypoxia as barbaric and legally risky [2] [9] [10].
5. Bottom line: has Indiana “passed” a law allowing gas chambers and firing squads?
Based on the sources provided, the categorical statement that Indiana passed HB 1119 legalizing both lethal gas chambers and firing squads is inaccurate: the bill proposed those methods but was amended to remove nitrogen hypoxia and reports conflict about final House action, with some outlets reporting rejection and others describing continued legislative movement—none of the items demonstrate an enacted law authorizing both methods as of the most recent reporting in these sources [3] [6] [8] [4].
6. What to watch next and the limits of the record
Future confirmation would require checking the official Indiana General Assembly status page or the enacted session laws to see whether HB 1119 ultimately passed both chambers and was signed into law or whether subsequent votes definitively killed the measure; the current reporting captures committee votes, amendments, advocacy positions, and disputed floor outcomes but does not provide an uncontested record of final enactment in the materials provided here [2] [3] [7].