death penalty drug makers

The South Carolina House has given key approval to allow the name of any company that sells lethal injection drugs and members of the execution team to remain secret. A bill has already passed the Senate. The proposal will head to the governor's desk if the two bodies can work out their minor differences. The governor has been adamant about restarting executions. South Carolina last executed an inmate in 2011. Opponents say the state shouldn't hide any part of the state sponsored death of an inmate.

South Carolina Senators hope a bill passed Wednesday will help the state resume capital punishment after an involuntary pause for nearly 12 years. Lawmakers approved a bill concealing the identity of pharmaceutical companies providing lethal injection drugs for state executions. The state has been unable to purchase the drugs necessary for lethal injection since the state's batch expired in 2013. Officials have largely blamed that inability to replenish the supply on the lack of a so-called "shield law." Republican leaders have said pharmaceutical companies fear public pressure from activists and therefore will not sell to states that do not conceal their identities.

A bill that would protect the identities of companies providing lethal injection drugs is now before the full South Carolina Senate. The state's last batch of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013. Republican leaders say the state cannot restock its supply because South Carolina lacks a statute shielding the providing drug companies' identities. The proposed shield is also now broader. A Senate committee voted Thursday to strip the proposal of language that Sen. Greg Hembree says has still given companies' cold feet in other states with similar laws. A lobbyist for the ACLU of South Carolina says the amendment's passage is a loss for accountability.