Texas Senate passes life without parole

AUSTIN, Texas, April 15 (UPI) -- The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would give juries the sentencing option of life without parole in capital murder cases.

The bill passed Thursday on a vote of 25-6 and goes to the House where leaders believe it can pass, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Gov. Rick Perry has not said whether he will sign or veto the measure.

If the bill becomes law, Texas would join most of the nation's 38 death-penalty states in offering the option to a death sentence. New Mexico is the only other state without the option in capital cases.

Democrat Sen. Eddie Lucio, the bill's sponsor, reluctantly accepted an amendment that would eliminate any possibility of parole in capital murder cases. A life sentence currently permits inmates to apply for parole in 40 years.

Lucio has offered the bill repeatedly in recent years and only last week could not muster enough votes in the Senate.