Rep. Gallego Votes to Pass George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) joined House Democrats to pass H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This bill is a bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement, and build and restore trust between law enforcement and our communities. Rep. Gallego issued the following statement:
"Systemic racism has long shaped the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color – especially Black communities – in America, and it has cost many lives. Fundamental, transformational change in the operations of law enforcement is necessary to begin healing the deep wounds that systemic racism and structural inequalities have caused in our country. That's why I voted today to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
"This bill ends inhumane and unfair practices that should never have existed in the first place. It bans chokeholds, stops no-knock warrants, and combats racial profiling. It also increases transparency and accountability by ending the qualified immunity doctrine that has been used to shield officers from punishment for wrongful conduct. It mandates data collection with tools like body cameras and dashboard cameras so we have records to review, and it creates a nationwide database of law enforcement misconduct to prevent cops that abuse their power from being rehired in other jurisdictions.
"George Floyd should have never been killed. It saddens and angers me that it took his murder to catalyze the kind of change we need to make in order to achieve racial justice in our country. But we must not let his death be in vain. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will save lives and bring urgently needed accountability to law enforcement agencies nationwide. I'm proud to have voted to pass this historic bill and I will continue to work to make sure everyone is treated and protected equally under the law."