WASHINGTON — A sweeping police reform bill is headed to the Senate after passage by the House.
The Democratic measure bans police chokeholds and so-called “no-knock” warrants. It also sets up a national database to track police misconduct.
The House bill is named for George Floyd, the unarmed black man who recently died in police custody in Minneapolis.
“Today with the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, the House is honoring his life and the lives of all those killed by police brutality and pledging: Never again,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press event on Thursday ahead of the vote.
“The House’s passage of the Justice in Policing Act is a bold step towards much-needed reforms,” said Indiana Congressman Andre Carson. “With provisions that address systemic racism and help save Black lives while increasing transparency to ensure police are held accountable.
The legislation faces a chilly reception in the Republican-led Senate and the White House threatens a presidential veto, saying it goes too far. The Senate GOP plan blocked by Senate Democrats earlier this week focuses more on incentivizing states to take action.
“Our Democratic colleagues tried to say with straight faces they wanted the Senate to discuss police reform, while they blocked the Senate from discussing police reform,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
McConnell has already shot down the House’s plan, saying it is an overreach and will not advance in the Senate. Minority leader Chuck Schumer said the GOP bill “failed” because it “was not a serious enough attempt” at police reform.
It’s unclear how Congress will proceed on the issue of police reform moving forward.
