One year after the murder of George Floyd, there is still a ton of work to be done. From eliminating qualified immunity to reducing use-of-force incidents, there are a number of initiatives being pushed through city councils and state houses across the country.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is looking to push forth the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. Lee’s legislation looks to eliminate qualified nationwide immunity and rethink how police departments operate currently.
While the Democratic Party pushed the act through the U.S. House of Representatives in March, it has faced stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers in the Senate. As a result, Lee has worked tirelessly with Sens. Tim Scott and Cory Booker to come to a bipartisan resolution. The trio has made progress in recent days, but it is likely that Lee will miss her self-imposed deadline of May 25.
Jumping into the conversation, members of the National Basketball Association have called on their elected officials to put aside their difference to pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act. Carmelo Anthony, Donovan Mitchell, Karl Anthony-Towns and several others have put together a statement nudging lawmakers to pass this act.
“Today, as this painful anniversary approaches, we have an opportunity to honor the memory of Mr. Floyd and others who have been victims of police brutality in this country by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” the statement reads.
“Systemic problems demand systemic solutions. And, because police actions are governed by a diverse array of state laws and local policies, the Floyd Act takes unprecedented strides towards consistency — reforming at a federal level the practices that failed its namesake.”