Articles

Lawmakers Push Legislation In Response To George Floyd Protests

Forbes / Sarah Hansen / June 1, 2020

As protests over the death of George Floyd continue to escalate across the country, here's how lawmakers are responding.

Capitol Hill

KEY FACTS

Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told CNN's Jake Tapper that he's drafting legislation to create a national registry of police misconduct.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said on Twitter Sunday that he's preparing to introduce legislation that would discontinue a program under the National Defense Authorization Act that transfers military grade weaponry to local police departments, which wouldn't be the first time lawmakers have tried to limit this practice.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also thrown her support behind several pieces of potential legislation, including one sponsored by Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) that would create a commission to study and "address social problems affecting Black men and boys"—that bill was introduced in April 2019, long before the current wave of protests began, and has 92 Democratic co-sponsors and one Republican co-sponsor.

Pelosi has also publicly praised a bill originally introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in 2015, after the death of Eric Garner, that would ban the use of chokeholds or any pressure to the neck by police.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced a resolution last week to condemn police brutality, racial profiling and the excessive use of force.

There are also congressional hearings on racial violence and the excessive use of force by police planned by both Democrats and Republicans.

Key background

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 ignited nationwide protests that are an expression of long-running frustrations over racial injustices and police brutality towards black people. Derek Chauvin, an officer captured in a video kneeling on Floyd's neck, has been arrested, charged with third-degree murder, and transferred to state prison.

What to watch for

House lawmakers aren't scheduled to return to Washington until June 30. If Pelosi were to call lawmakers back for a vote, they would get 72 hours notice, according to Politico. The Senate is currently in session.