Live Tracker: Congressional Responses to the George Floyd Killing
Published in
5 min readJun 10, 2020
Written by Tina J. Newton (@tinajnewton)
In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, I knew I didn’t want to write another cliché “we must end racism now” social media post. In all honesty, I’ve never seen myself as an activist and felt that simply posting “woke” tweets would be disingenuous. I wanted to do something that authentically expressed my hurt, frustration, and disappointment about racial injustice in America. My gut reaction was to peacefully protest, which I did. During the protests, I found myself in awe by the numerous ways in which peaceful protesters have honored the life of George Floyd and countless other black people who have died at the hands of reckless law enforcement. The harsh reality is that protesting alone is not enough. Motivated to do more, I began researching and found it way too difficult to find a single, comprehensive list of legislation on law enforcement accountability. In that spirit, here is a list of current federal legislation on the House and Senate floors.
My hope in creating this tracker is that it will be used as a source for those fighting for racial equality. Wanting justice for black lives is not enough — we must create a new norm of police accountability. Let’s not make this another long list of legislation that never got passed. Use this tracker. Share this tracker. Get politically active. Black. Lives. Matter. Check back for further updates.
United States House of Representatives
- H.R.7100 — To encourage greater community accountability of law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes: Introduced June 04, 2020, by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18). Also known as The George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act. According to ABC News, “this bill would require every state, local and federal law enforcement agency to provide data to the Department of Justice on the use of deadly force by and against police officers, along with data on traffic and pedestrian stops. It would also make funding grants available to police agencies studying and creating new recruitment, hiring and oversight programs, and require the Justice Department to establish a task force to coordinate efforts to investigate and prosecute cases of law enforcement misconduct.” As of June 9, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- H.Re.988 — Condemning all acts of police brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive and militarized force throughout the country: Introduced June 01, 2020, by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7). Per the summary, “This resolution condemns acts of brutality, racial profiling, and the use of excessive force by law enforcement officers. It also calls for the end of militarized policing practices. The resolution supports strengthening efforts to promote accountability for individual law enforcement officers and police departments. Finally, it calls for the adoption of sound and unbiased law enforcement policies at all levels of government.” As of June 9, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- H.R.7085 — To amend the Revised Statutes to remove the defense of qualified immunity in the case of any action under section 1979, and for other purposes: Introduced June 04, 2020, by Rep. Justin Amash (L-MI-3). Also known as the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, this bill amends the definition of “qualified immunity” for law enforcement officers, reducing protections against civil suits regarding excessive force. As of June 9, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- H.R.7188 — To require law enforcement agencies to report the use of lethal force, and for other purposes: Introduced June 11, 2020, by Rep. William R. Timmons IV (R-SC-4). The House companion to S.3873 also known as the Walter Scott Notification Act (listed in the Senate section below). As of June 14, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- H.R.7120 — The Justice in Policing Act of 2020: Introduced June 8, 2020, by Rep Karen Bass (D-CA-37). The bill would create the National Police Misconduct Registry to collect data on complaints related to police misconduct. In addition, the bill establishes new requirements for law enforcement agencies such as training on racial profiling and the mandatory use of body cameras for police officers. As of June 30, 2020, its status was “Passed House”.
- H.Res.1007 — Calling for justice for George Floyd and opposing efforts to defund the police: Introduced June 15, 2020 by Rep. Gregory Steube (R-FL-17).This resolution supports police accountability in the case of George Floyd, but opposes all efforts to defund law enforcement. As of June 18, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
United States Senate
- S.Res.602 — A resolution recognizing that the murder of George Floyd by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department is the result of pervasive and systemic racism that cannot be dismantled without, among other things, proper redress in the courts: Introduced June 02, 2020, by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). This resolution acts as a censure of the Minneapolis Police Department regarding the killing of George Floyd. As of June 9, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- S.3873 — A bill to require law enforcement agencies to report the use of lethal force, and for other purposes: Introduced June 03, 2020, by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). A re-introduction of the Walter Scott Notification Act, Sen. Scott’s bill would require states “to keep track of a number of data points, including name, race, description of [the] event, and overall circumstances that led up to the weapon being discharged. A state that fails to comply with the prescribed requirements could be subject to a ten percent reduction in federal grant funds.” As of June 9, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- S.Res.613 — A resolution calling for justice for George Floyd and opposing calls to defund the police: Introduced June 10, 2020 by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR). This resolution supports police accountability in the case of George Floyd, but opposes all efforts to defund law enforcement. As of June 18, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- S.3985 — A bill to improve and reform policing practices, accountability, and transparency: Introduced June 17, 2020 by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Also known as the Just and Unifying Solutions to Invigorate Communities Everywhere, or JUSTICE Act. According to the press release, the bill aims reform hiring practices for law enforcement, make lynching a federal crime, require reporting when no knock warrants are used, and require reporting if an officer discharges their weapon or uses force. As of June 18, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
- S.3955— A bill to prohibit no-knock warrants, and for other purposes: Introduced June 11, 2020 by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Also known as the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act. Per Sen. Paul’s press release, this bill would “require federal law enforcement officers to provide notice of their authority and purpose before they could execute a warrant, and it would require the same of any state or local law enforcement agency that receives funds from the Department of Justice.” As of June 24, 2020, its status was “Introduced”.
