LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts says state officials have bought all three drugs required to carry out executions.
Ricketts and Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes announced Thursday that the state now possesses one of the three drugs and will receive the other two in the near future.
The department bought two of the drugs, sodium thiopental and pancuronium bromide, from a company called HarrisPharma.
Ricketts says three of Nebraska's 11 death-row inmates have exhausted all of their appeals.
The announcement comes one day before lawmakers are scheduled to debate a death penalty repeal measure. The bill won first-round approval with a veto-proof majority in April, but two more votes are required.
Some opponents have argued that Nebraska should abolish capital punishment because the state hasn't executed anyone since 1997.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.