Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021, or H.R. 1280—a comprehensive police reform bill centered on strengthening law enforcement accountability and rooting out racism and injustice within the American policing profession. The U.S. House of Representatives first passed a version of the legislation in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.
After the vote, Mara Rudman, executive vice president for Policy at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
With the passage of the Justice in Policing Act, the U.S. House of Representatives has brought our country one step closer to addressing the scourge of police violence and systemic racism in the justice system. This critical legislation would create long-overdue accountability for law enforcement officers and departments that violate trainings, policies, or laws. The bill also includes many important provisions to address serious structural problems with policing, including providing grants to states to bring “pattern or practice” cases, incentivizing law enforcement agencies to end harmful practices such as the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases, and limiting legal protections that allow law enforcement to violate Americans’ constitutional rights with impunity.
We are encouraged by the support for this legislation by Senate leadership and urge the swift passage of this bill in the Senate. Our communities deserve justice now.
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For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos at [email protected].