(Kevin McCoy/Wiki Commons)

National Police Reform Bill Passed by House of Representatives

June 26, 2020

The House of Representatives passed legislation Thursday that would change law enforcement and policing practices across the U.S.

Introduced by Representative Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was written to hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve transparency through data collection and reform police training and policies. It passed with a 236-181 vote.

Today, with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the House is honoring his life and the lives of all killed by police brutality, and pledging: never again, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote.?

The vote comes a day after the House voted against a Republican-led police reform bill. Both bills addressed making lynching illegal on a federal level, accelerating law enforcement's use of body cameras, banning police use of choke holds and creating a system where law enforcement disciplinary records can be shared among among departments and agencies.

In the Justice in Policing Act, part of the record-keeping process would involve reporting to the Attorney General any use of deadly force on a civilian. The record would have to include the type of weapon used, why force was used and summarized description of the incident.

Political Differences Remain

Additionally, the Democrat-led bill would also reform qualified immunity and ban no-knock drug warrants on a federal level, both items that were not addressed in the Republican Justice Act.?

The bill will now make its way to the U.S. Senate for a vote, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnel said Tuesday, The House version is going nowhere in the Senate.

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