Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Friday to kill the state’s use of the death penalty.

If passed, Assembly Bill 149, sponsored by Assemblyman Ozzie Fumo and state Sen. James Ohrenschall, would abolish capital punishment in Nevada.

Support for the death penalty had been declining over the years — though support had a slight uptick from 49 percent in 2016 to 54 percent in 2018. Activists, such as those with the Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty, have called for states to get rid of the practice saying it is unfair, has room for error and is racially biased.

A legislative study found seeking the death penalty is also more expensive and costs $500,000 more to prosecute capital cases regardless of outcome.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 20 states have decided to get rid of capital punishment while three states have gubernatorial moratoria, which essentially has suspended execution without outright abolishing it.

Nevada hasn’t executed someone since 2006. However, the topic of the death penalty in Nevada gained traction when Scott Dozier was scheduled to be put to death in 2017 — the execution was stalled due to legal challenges surrounding the type of lethal injection drugs being used, and Dozier died by suicide in January.

Previous legislative attempts to stymie the use of capital punishment have failed — Gov. Brian Sandoval supported the method and was against abolishing it. However, during an interview with The Nevada Independent Gov. Steve Sisolak came out opposed to the death penalty, signaling that renewed legislative efforts might gain ground.