After nearly nine hours of debate, the Connecticut House voted 86-62 to repeal the death penalty late Wednesday night, setting the stage for the state to become the 17th to eliminate capital punishment.

The bill is now almost certain to become law: Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has already pledged to sign the bill once it reaches his desk.

Under this bill, the maximum punishment for a crime becomes life in prison without the possibility of parole. In order to gain enough votes to pass the bill, Senate Democrats amended the bill to apply only to future convictions, meaning that the 11 people currently on death row will still face capital punishment.