Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus, a police reform will be introduced to Congress on Monday. The bill will focus on consequences for police misconduct and increasing transparency.
Within the bill, lawmakers will push to make sweeping changes to law enforcement. Specifically, the bill aims to grant the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division subpoena power. In addition, the bill will offer incentives for attorney generals who conduct practice investigations of police departments. Furthermore, the bill will look to provide grants for state’s who create structures for investigating police involved deaths. Other aspects of the bill hope to address cultural biases in police forces and making lynching a hate crime.
“Empathy and sympathy and words of caring for those who have died and suffered are necessary, but it’s not enough … we must change laws and systems of accountability,” Sen. Cory Booker says as congressional Democrats announce a police reform bill. https://t.co/JnqDlzMFDq pic.twitter.com/aYasVQB8ke
— ABC News (@ABC) June 8, 2020
As of late, many communities have looked into decrease funding for police forces. However, initial reports of the bill do not indicate that Capitol Hill leaders are interested in that at the moment.
Currently, the bill remains very much a product of Democratic leaders. There’s no word as to how GOP leaders feel about the bill. While Democrats control the House of Representatives, Republican support will be vital in the Senate.
