House Democrats unveil police reform bill

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Democratic House members unveiled a new bill Monday that focuses on reforming police policies by holding police accountable for any misconduct, as well as being able to track “problematic” officers through a national misconduct registry.

The bill, named Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is in response to the death of George Floyd, a man who died with a police officer’s knee on his neck. The bill would overhaul the way police do their jobs.

Before rolling out the bill, House Democrats kneeled in silence in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time George Floyd was under the knee of the police officer that killed him.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP - Getty Images

The bill would ban choke-holds, reform police training, limit the transfer of military-grade weapons to state and local law enforcement, require body cameras, authorize the Justice Department and attorney general to play a larger role in the oversight of police enforcement, make lynching a federal hate crime, and ban no-knock warrants in drug cases

“Unless there is accountability, there will never be change,” House Democratic caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries said. “Unless there’s change, brutality will continue, and we’ll be trapper in a vicious cycle of anguish and despair.”

The bill is led by the Congressional Black Caucus. Democrats hope to have the bill passed by the end of June. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus told CNN’s “State of the Union” that there is “a lot of support” among House Republicans for the bill. On Monday, Bass said that the package has more than 200 cosponsors in the House and Senate.

 “I think we can easily find common ground on both sides and we can do it swiftly, but it’s more difficult if you’re away,” House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), told reporters on Thursday.

However, the bill may lead opposition in the Republican-held Senate. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called on Mitch McConnell to put the legislation on the floor before July, saying Senate Democrats will “fight like hell” to get a vote on the bill.

 “It’s certainly something that we need to take a look at,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), told reporters last week. “We’ll be talking to our colleagues about what, if anything, is appropriate for us to do in the wake of what’s going on.”
                          
This article was last modified on June 08, 2020 at 1:05 PM ET