Underwood-Backed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Passes the House

WASHINGTON—Today, Representative Lauren Underwood (IL-14) supported the bipartisan passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 7120) in the House of Representatives. The legislation would create stronger systems of transparency and accountability in policing across the country and safeguard every American's right to safety and justice. The bill would ban chokeholds on the federal level, end racial profiling, and help build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Underwood is an original cosponsor of the legislation.

"Our nation is facing a critical moment. Thousands of Illinoisans have taken to the streets, in the middle of a deadly pandemic, to demand our attention. It is Congress's job to deliver policy solutions that answer this call for change," said Underwood. "Today, with the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, we take a crucial step forward by addressing serious flaws in our policing system. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues toward a safer and more equitable future."

Underwood's floor speech on the legislation can be found here.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would:

• Ban the use of chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level;
• Ban no-knock warrants in federal drug cases;
• Create law enforcement development programs to foster policing best practices;
• Incentivize law enforcement to meet a gold standard in training, hiring and de-escalation strategies to address systemic biases;
• Establish funding for state attorneys general to investigate excessive uses of force and police misconduct;
• Require the U.S. attorney general to create law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations based on President Obama's Task Force on 21st Century policing;
• Reform qualified immunity so that individuals are not barred from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights;
• Grant subpoena power to the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, to conduct pattern and practice investigations; and
• Establish 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.

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