House Passes Historic Policing Reform Bill

Statement

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 7120), a sweeping police reform package led by the Congressional Black Caucus following the murders of George Floyd and too many other Black Americans at the hands of the police. This legislation will transform the culture of policing in our country to address systemic racism and help save lives. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) is an original cosponsor of this bill that holds police accountable and increases transparency.

"Black Americans have endured systemic racism and discrimination for too long, and this has been painfully evident in their treatment by law enforcement. The Justice in Policing Act will hold police officials accountable for abusing their power and positions of authority," said DelBene. "This is long overdue and I am proud to join the Congressional Black Caucus today in voting for this critical piece of legislation. One bill alone cannot end generations of racism but it can begin to address many of the systemic inequalities discrimination has created in our country."

Specifically, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:

Bans chokeholds;
Stops no-knock warrants;
Ends the qualified immunity doctrine that is a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct;
Combats racial profiling;
Mandates data collection, including body cameras and dashboard cameras; and
Establishes new standards for policing.

The full text of the legislation is available here. A section-by-section summary is available here. A fact sheet on the bill is available here.

Source