CHARLESTON — A group of Republican lawmakers said they are dedicated to pushing through a bill next year to make it harder for those convicted of first-degree murder to get out of prison earlier.

During a press conference Tuesday morning at the State Capitol Building, Del. Dana Farrell, R-Kanawha, said a bill was being drafted that will include raising the minimum parole eligibility for first-degree murder from 15 to 25 years.

“There seem to be some errors there that we can make some improvements on,” Farrell said. “Today, we want to make that commitment to do that… This is a commitment by the members here of the Legislature to address the issue of tougher penalties for murder convictions.”

According to State Code, if someone is convicted of first-degree murder with a recommendation of

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