House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House will announce a sweeping police and social justice reform measure on Monday aimed at responding to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
“We are on the brink of announcing an initiative,” the California Democrat said Thursday. “We are working with the Senate Democrats as well and advancing legislation, protecting equal justice and including a number of provisions ending racial profiling, ending excessive use of force, ending qualified immunity.”
Pelosi said Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and head of the Congressional Black Caucus, is steering the effort, and that the measure would also address “the loss of trust between police departments and communities that they serve.”
Floyd died after a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd’s death has been ruled a homicide and follows a string of lethal officer-involved incidents in recent years.
Protests and rioting have occurred in cities across the United States. Lawmakers in both parties are now interested in legislation to address social injustices related to policing and broader matters of discrimination and bias.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, told reporters Thursday he has reached out to lawmakers in both parties in an effort to find bipartisan agreement on legislation related to police training and removing bad officers.
“Are there instances where someone has had a lot of reports on them about use of force?” McCarthy asked.
McCarthy said he is interested in requiring data collection and reports about use of force and finding ways to ensure those who are removed from duty for violations are not later allowed back on the force.
House Democrats are poised to advance legislation banning police from using a chokehold to restrain an individual. The measure is authored by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, and is slated for committee consideration soon, a top aide told the Washington Examiner.
Senate Democrats and Republicans are crafting police reform legislation, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said a congressional measure addressing the matter will be considered in the Senate.
