H.R.7120 - George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020

 

H.R.7120 - George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020

Introduced in House (06/08/2020)

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120

This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It includes measures to increase accountability for law enforcement misconduct, to enhance transparency and data collection, and to eliminate discriminatory policing practices.

The bill facilitates federal enforcement of constitutional violations (e.g., excessive use of force) by state and local law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following:

• lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution,
• limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer or state correctional officer, and
• authorizes the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination.

The bill also creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct.

It establishes a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels.

The bill establishes new requirements for law enforcement officers and agencies, including to report data on use-of-force incidents, to obtain training on implicit bias and racial profiling, and to wear body camera

Sponsor:	Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-37] (Introduced 06/08/2020)
Committees:	House - Judiciary; Armed Services; Energy and Commerce
Committee Reports:	H. Rept. 116-434
Latest Action:	Senate - 07/20/2020 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 490.  (All Actions)
Roll Call Votes:	There has been 1 roll call vote

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is a civil rights and police reform bill drafted by Democrats in the United States Congress, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 8, 2020.^[1][2] The legislation aims to combat police misconduct, excessive force, and racial bias in policing.^[3][4]

The bill passed the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on a mostly party-line vote of 236–181, but is not expected to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate.^[5][6] President Donald Trump opposes the legislation.^[6

 Other Sources:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/116-2020/h119

https://www.naacp.org/latest/george-floyd-justice-policing-act-2020/

https://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/Documents/standcomm/sclaw/FACT-SHEET_George_Floyd_Justice_in_Policing_Act_of_2020_CBC_Judiciary.pdf

https://bass.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-passes-george-floyd-justice-policing-act