Lisa Blunt Rochester

03/04/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/04/2021 09:21

Blunt Rochester Votes to Pass George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

WASHINGTON - Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Democrats' bold, transformative legislation to reimagine the culture of policing in America with unprecedented reforms to curb police brutality, end racial profiling, eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement and build greater trust between law enforcement and our communities.

'When the world witnessed the brutal murder of George Floyd last summer, our country was forced to confront the historic injustices faced by people of color in the United States. That reckoning led us to examine the way in which our communities and neighborhoods are policed,' said Blunt Rochester. 'The Congressional Black Caucus, working with the House Judiciary Committee came together to introduce legislation that would create real and sustainable transparency, accountability, and improve training for our law enforcement officers. I was proud to, once again, sponsor and vote for the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. It's my hope that the Senate will take up this important measure and send it to President Biden's desk.'

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will take numerous key steps to achieve transformative, structural change to combat police brutality and racial injustice and create safety for communities and police, including:

  • Banning all chokeholds;
  • Banning no-knock warrants in drug cases;
  • Ending racial, religious and discriminatory profiling;
  • Eliminating the qualified immunity doctrine that is a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct;
  • Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;
  • Requiring data collection, including mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras;
  • Establishing new standards for policing and the Public Safety Innovation grants for community-based organizations to help reimagine policing in their communities; and more.

###