McEachin Votes to Pass George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

Statement

Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) today issued the following statement on House passage of H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, legislation he co-sponsored to curb police brutality, end racial profiling, eliminate qualified law enforcement and build greater trust bettween law enforcement and our communities:

"Last year, flashpoints of pain in the commonwealth of Virginia and across the nation laid bare to us all just how far we have to go in addressing the deeply-rooted ills of racial bias and police-sanctioned violence in our society. Too many lives have been taken and communities devastated by police brutality and racial profiling.

"Action is long overdue. We can and must re-imagine public safety in America to make our policing systems safer for citizens and hold police officers accountable to the communities they serve, beginning with today's passage of the Justice in Policing Act.

"For far too long, pleas for federal action needed to transform the culture of policing in our communities, address systemic racism and save lives have fallen on deaf ears in Washington. The Senate must act swiftly on this legislation and deliver on the mandate from the American people to stand up for the best in the American tradition of equal justice under the law, ensuring that the common-sense policies included in the Justice in Policing Act are adopted by police departments across the country."

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About the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will take numerous key steps to achieve transformative, structural change to combat the pattern of police brutality and racial injustice, including:

Banning all chokeholds;
Banning no-knock warrants in drug cases;
Ending racial, religious and discriminatory profiling;
Eliminating the qualified immunity doctrine that is a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct;
Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;
Requiring data collection, including mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras;
Establishing new standards for policing and the Public Safety Innovation grants for community-based organizations to help reimagine policing in their communities; and more.
For more information, please contact:
Ralph M. Jones, Jr., Communications Director
U.S. Representative A. Donald McEachin (VA-04)
C: 678.672.7907
ralph.jones@mail.house.gov

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