Sen. Mike Braun said Tuesday he will put out a bill this week to limit qualified immunity, which shields officers from lawsuits over actions in the line of duty.
The Indiana Republican said he wanted to see the GOP be more “aggressive” in addressing policing changes amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last month while in police custody in Minneapolis.
“The fact that everybody’s doing something, it’s a watershed moment,” he told reporters. “I’ll be disappointed here if we don’t get support behind reforming qualified immunity.”
He also praised President Trump’s new executive order that will ban chokeholds, with the exception of a police officer defending his or her life.
Qualified immunity, which protects government officials from lawsuits of acting in their official capacity, will likely be one of biggest areas of contention between Democrats and Republicans.
Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican and lead legislator on the conference’s policing package, said Sunday any changes to qualified immunity would be a “poison pill.”
Mr. Braun said he understands his conference is hesitant to consider qualified immunity but thinks he could garner bipartisan support for his bill.
He said there needs to be more clarity for rank-and-file officers on protocol and procedures to avoid having to defend “horrific actions” on a regular basis.
Mr. Braun said he plans to introduce his bill by Thursday at the latest. The Senate GOP bill is expected to be released Wednesday.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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