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Tonko Votes to Advance Justice in Policing Act

Reform bill first of its kind to combat police brutality and systemic racism in law enforcement

WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko voted today with the House to adopt H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Led by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA), Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the legislation would, among other things, ban police chokeholds, limit the transfer of weapons of war to local departments, build trust between police and the communities they serve, end dangerous no-knock warrant use for drug cases, and increase transparency and accountability by establishing a national registry to track officers with a history of misconduct and restricting “qualified immunity” that prevents police officers from being sued for such misconduct. 

“Today we stand in the gaze of history at a moment that is years, decades and centuries in the making. For too long, our nation has ignored the unimaginable suffering, violence and brutality inflicted upon Black Americans,” Congressman Tonko said. “This cruel and unjust reality that our friends and neighbors are forced to bear was dragged into the light by the murder of George Floyd. His death shocked the conscience of our nation, and since that horrific moment, Americans from every corner of our nation have risen up, raised their voices and united in a nationwide call for justice. The voices of the people have brought us to this crossroads and the House has answered their call. Our Justice in Policing Act, legislation that—for the first time—takes major steps to confront the systemic racism that has long corrupted our most fundamental institutions, including the systems we use to enforce our laws. This critical legislation is long overdue, and while one new law cannot heal the wounds of four hundred years of violence and injustice, it is a vital step toward creating a better nation that truly upholds the deeply American principles of liberty and justice for all.”


The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020: 

Works to End Racial & Religious Profiling

  • Prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling.
  • Mandates training on racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling for all law enforcement.
  • Requires law enforcement to collect data on all investigatory activities.

Saves Lives by Banning Chokeholds & No-Knock Warrants

  • Bans chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level and conditions law enforcement funding for state and local governments banning chokeholds.
  • Bans no-knock warrants in drug cases at the federal level and conditions law enforcement funding for state and local governments banning no-knock warrants at the local and state level.
  • Requires that deadly force be used only as a last resort and requires officers to employ de-escalation techniques first. 

Limits Military Equipment on American Streets & Requires Body Cameras

  • Limits the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement.
  • Requires federal uniformed police officers to wear body cameras and requires state and local law enforcement to use existing federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras.
  • Requires marked federal police vehicles to have dashboard cameras.

Holds Police Accountable in Court

  • Makes it easier to prosecute offending officers by amending the federal criminal statute to prosecute police misconduct.
  • Enables individuals to recover damages in civil court when law enforcement officers violate their constitutional rights by eliminating qualified immunity for law enforcement.

Changes the Culture of Law Enforcement with Training to Build Integrity and Trust

  • Requires the creation of law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations based on President Obama’s Taskforce on 21st Century policing.
  • Creates law enforcement development and training programs to develop best practices.
  • Enhances funding for pattern and practice discrimination investigations and programs managed by the DOJ Community Relations Service.
  • Establishes a DOJ task force to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and enforcement efforts of federal, state and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct.

Improves Transparency by Collecting Data on Police Misconduct and Use-of-Force

  • Creates a nationwide police misconduct registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability.
  • Mandates state and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data, disaggregated by race, sex, disability, religion, age.

Stops Sexual Assault in Law Enforcement Custody

  • Makes it a crime for a federal law enforcement officer to engage in a sexual act with an individual who is under arrest, in detention, or in custody.  It prohibits consent as a defense to prosecution for unlawful conduct. Incentivizes states to set the same standards. 

This legislation has garnered support from dozens of organizations, including Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Demand Progress, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, League of Women Voters, YWCA USA, America Forward, National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Moms Demand Action, Everytown for Gun Safety, Center for American Progress, and Music Artists’ Coalition (MAC).

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