House Approves George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

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House lawmakers on March 3rd passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a reform bill that would ban chokeholds and alter so-called qualified immunity for law enforcement, which would make it easier to pursue claims of police misconduct.

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed by the House

The 220-212 vote came nine months after 46-year-old George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers last May.

The wide-ranging legislation would also ban no-knock warrants in certain cases, mandate data collection on police encounters, prohibit racial and religious profiling and redirect funding to community-based policing programs, and authorize the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination.

“Never again should an unarmed individual be murdered or brutalized by someone who is supposed to serve and protect them,” said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., in a statement. “Never again should the world be subject to witnessing what we saw happen to George Floyd in the streets in Minnesota.”

Earlier this week, the Biden administration released a statement urging the House to vote in favor of the proposal.

“To make our communities safe, we must begin by rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the people they are entrusted to serve and protect,” the statement said. “We cannot rebuild that trust if we do not hold police officers accountable for abuses of power and tackle systemic misconduct – and systemic racism – in police departments.”