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The bill, led by the only Black Republican Senator, Tim Scott, does not outright ban chokeholds, but encourages police departments to by withdrawing federal funds if they don’t prove they’ve stopped the technique.
"This legislation ... speaks to that spirit, that we believe the overwhelming number of officers in this nation are good people, working hard," Scott said during a press conference that revealed the bill.
The Republican bill is expected to be considered on the floor next week, a sharp contrast from the bill House and Senate Democrats proposed more than a week ago. President Trump signed an executive order on police reform, that he says would go “hand in hand” with the Republican proposal.
“We’re serious about making a law here,” Senate Majority Mitch McConnell said. “This is not about trying to create partisan differences. This is about coming together and getting an outcome.”
What the bill includes
- Encourage police departments to use body cameras through federal grants.
- Make lynching a federal crime.
- Increase the punishment for false police reports.
- Requires local law agencies to report all officer-related deaths to the FBI
- Create a commission to review police tactics and set up best practices for officers and encourage de-escalation training.
- Reduce the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants with federal incentives.
How it’s different from the Democratic bill
- Doesn’t eliminate qualified immunity — a legal protection that keeps officers from being liable for their actions while on the job.
- Democrats do not support the idea of new federal funding to apply new reforms.
- Doesn’t set up a national registry to track complaints against officers.
- Doesn’t ban no-knock warrants.