Cunningham Votes to Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020

June 25, 2020
Press Release

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Joe Cunningham (SC-01) today voted to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, comprehensive legislation designed to hold police accountable, increase transparency, and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

 

“I share the anguish and pain felt by so many in the Lowcountry after confronting another unjust killing of a Black American by police officers who dishonor their badge and the communities they are supposed to serve,” said Rep. Joe Cunningham. “The time is long overdue for Congress to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice and affirm that Black lives matter. The landmark legislation we voted on today will hold police accountable for egregious misconduct, increase transparency, improve police practices and training to prevent these injustices from happening in the first place, and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. I am proud to join my colleagues in passing historic, comprehensive legislation to move the country forward.”                                                                       

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 will:

  • Combat police brutality by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, which took the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and requiring body and dashboard cameras.
  • Require that deadly force be used as a last resort and require officers to employ de-escalation techniques first. It will also change the standard to evaluate whether law enforcement use of force was justified from whether the force was “reasonable” to whether the force was “necessary.”
  • Remove barriers to holding police accountable for misconduct by ending qualified immunity for law enforcement.
  • Improve transparency by collecting data on police misconduct and the use of force, including by creating a nationwide police misconduct registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability.
  • Work to end racial and religious profiling by prohibiting federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling and mandating training on discriminatory practices.
  • Finally make lynching a federal hate crime.