Eight Republicans on a state senate committee have narrowly approved a bill that would reinstate the death penalty for people convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering a child in Iowa. Senator Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel, says polls show Iowans support the death penalty in these cases.

The Senate’s Republican leader has not indicated whether the bill will be scheduled for debate in the senate. The bill has 20 Republican co-sponsors, but 26 “yes” votes are required to pass bills in the senate.