WASHINGTON (US) – Police reforms will be the key focus in the Congress on Wednesday as Senate Republicans unveil their effort to address racial disparities in law enforcement while Democrats in the House of Representatives advance their own, more sweeping proposal.
More than three weeks after the George Floyd episode, Senator Tim Scott, the chamber’s lone black Republican, is expected to propose a law that discourages the use of chokeholds, require police departments to release more information on use of force and no-knock warrants, and encourage body cameras and better training.
Democrats are scheduled to advance a bill out of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee that bans chokeholds, sets tighter standards for the use of deadly force, and makes it easier for victims of misconduct and their families to sue the police.
Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25 after a policeman knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes was the latest in a string of killings of African Americans by police, sparking outrage on streets and fresh calls for reforms.
But officials in Washington appear increasingly at odds over how to respond.
Democrats say the Republican plan does not go far enough, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats’ legislation would go nowhere in his chamber, dismissing it as “typical Democratic overreach.”
“I worry in this moment, I really do, that we’re going to repeat history, that this is the movie, ‘Groundhog Day,’ because here we are again in a nightmare, not a comedy,” said Senator Cory Booker, a black lawmaker who helped craft the Democratic bill.
Amid criticism over his policies and inflammatory speeches, President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order that would provide federal funds to police departments that agree to outside review and limit the use of chokeholds.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field