GOP Senator’s unveiled their 106-page bill Wednesday in response to public outcry and protest following the killing of George Floyd. The plan comes a week after Democrats in the House revealed their sweeping police overhaul.
What We Know:
- The proposal would change police procedure and accountability including an enhanced use-of-force database, restrictions on chokeholds and new commissions to study law enforcement and race, the Associated Press reports.
- The legislation would strengthen requirements for law enforcement to compile use-of-force reports under a new “George Floyd and Walter Scott Notification Act”.
- The bill would also establish the Breonna Taylor Notification Act to track “no-knock” warrants. Democrats in the House have proposed banning the “no-knock” policy all together.
- The Justice Act would also encourage agencies to do away with the practice of chokeholds or risk losing federal funding and provides funding for training to “de-escalate” situations and establish a “duty to intervene” protocol to prevent excessive force.
- It also includes a bill to make lynching a federal hate crime and another to launch a study of the social status of black men and boys that has been promoted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the party is “serious about making a law”. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the Republican Party’s only African American member, expressed his support for black Americans during the legislation’s announcement. “We hear you. We’re listening to your concerns.”
The Senate could vote on the act as soon as next week.
