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Read Senate Republicans' Proposed Police Reform Legislation

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pictured during a hearing on June 10, led the Republican effort to draft police reform legislation that was unveiled on Wednesday.
Al Drago
/
AFP via Getty Images
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pictured during a hearing on June 10, led the Republican effort to draft police reform legislation that was unveiled on Wednesday.

Senate Republicans are unveiling their proposal on Wednesday to reform law enforcement in the United States in response to the national protest movement that followed the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a Minneapolis man, was one of a number of black Americans who died at the hands of police in recent weeks and sparked a wave of demonstrations and debate about law enforcement and race.

The political pressure reached the point that President Trump and members of Congress all have vowed to act in some way. Democrats released a sweeping proposed bill last week; Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday and Senate Republicans' bill appeared on Wednesday.

The GOP proposal, called the Justice Act, includes incentives for police departments to ban chokeholds, more disclosure requirements about the use of force and no-knock warrants, and penalties for false reports. It also includes emergency grant programs for body cameras, makes lynching a federal hate crime and creates a commission to study the conditions facing black men and boys.

Work on the proposal has been led by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the Senate's only black Republican; read the legislation here.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR Staff