Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) voted to pass H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. This legislation implements reforms to create stronger systems of transparency and accountability in policing across the country. It passed the House of Representatives, 220-212.
“The killing of George Floyd, a native Houstonian, sparked a national conversation about justice and policing—systemic issues that call for a serious response,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. “The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021is one important step in that response. The bill represents years of thoughtful study about improvements that will bring meaningful reforms to help keep all Americans safer, including those who enforce our laws.”
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021:
Bans the use of chokeholds, carotid holds, and no-knock warrants at the federal level;
Creates law enforcement development programs to foster policing best practices;
Incentivizes law enforcement to meet a gold standard in training, hiring, and de-escalation strategies to address systemic biases;
Requires state and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data, disaggregated by demographic information;
Establishes a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent officers with histories of misconduct and violence from moving to new jurisdictions after being fired or put on leave;
Establishes funding for state attorneys general to investigate excessive uses of force and police misconduct;
Requires the U.S. attorney general to create law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations based on President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century policing;
Grants subpoena power to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Civil Rights Division, to conduct pattern and practice investigations; and
Establishes a DOJ task force to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and enforcement efforts of federal, state and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct.
