House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Wednesday if Congress does not pass meaningful changes to policing practices in the U.S., then there will be a “stain on our legacy.”
“The Justice in Policing Act is our opportunity to show the world that we are listening and that we will respond with real and lasting reforms. We must not let this moment slip away,” Mr. Nadler, New York Democrat, said at the start of a markup hearing on the Democrats’ package.
“If we find ourselves here again, listening to the heartbreaking testimony of another grieving family member, wondering why we did not act when we had the chance, it will be a stain on our legacy. We must not let that happen,” he added.
He said the Democrats’ bill is intended to change the culture of policing to that of a “guardian, not warrior.”
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the highest-ranking member on the panel, said he hopes Democrats are serious about working on a bipartisan basis.
“Not one single Republican was talked to about the bill we are marking up today,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Senate Republicans unveil police overhaul bill
The first amendment, offered by Mr. Nadler was to rename the bill after George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota, who died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Floyd’s death sparked outrage and demands for changes to policing policies across the country.
“The tragic death of Mr. Floyd has galvanized the entire nation to take a look at our history, because black Americans have actually been sadly marching for over a hundred years to bring attention to this gross injustice,” Rep. Karen Bass, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said.
Their bill mandates anti-bias training, imposes national use-of-force standards and makes it easier to sue officers for misconduct in the line of duty.
It also includes chokehold and “no-knock” warrant bans as well as an anti-lynching provision. It goes further by proposing a national use of force standard, creates a national misconduct registry and limits qualified immunity.
As Democrats, who already have the votes to pass the bill out of the House, pursue their bill, they’re on a collision course with Senate Republicans who just released their version earlier Wednesday morning.
One of the biggest outstanding issues is qualified immunity, which protects government officials from lawsuits of acting in their official capacity.
It is not included in the GOP package — with Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, saying they’re open to a conversation, but as a demand, it’s a “poison pill.”
The GOP ramps up requirements for police departments to report on the use of force and “no-knock” warrants and provides incentives for chokehold bans. It provides grants for training resources and body cameras, with penalties for improper use of the recording devices.
Republicans have stayed away from implementing national mandates on policies in the way that House Democrats’ bill does, but Mr. Scott said tying incentives to chokehold bans, for example, will likely result in a similar end in some areas.
The Justice Department will have a large role in implementing new de-escalation training procedures across the country, particularly regarding duty-to-intervene policies that will require officers to step in when they witness excessive force.
The bill will also create two new commissions. One will review the criminal justice system, while the other will take a more holistic approach in reviewing conditions affecting black men and boys in multiple areas including education, health care, finance and the justice system.
Like the House Democrats’ bill, the Senate GOP’s does make lynching a federal crime.
Senate Republicans have cast the House Democrats’ approach as too heavy-handed and dependent on federal mandates.
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Republicans of presenting a “watered-down” bill.
Both the Senate and House will vote on their bills next week — ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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