Press Releases

Representative Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement on the eve of the Senate’s procedural vote on Senator Tim Scott’s Justice Act:

“We have reached a critical juncture in our history where the steps we take can change a generation. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act championed by the Congressional Black Caucus is the first ever comprehensive legislation to reform law enforcement but also empower communities to reimagine what just and equitable policing must look like. This bill is a direct response to the moral moment  as Americans from coast to coast are demanding for real change that includes prevention, training, a registry of misconduct to eliminate repeat offenders, use of force standards, ending qualified immunity and making it easier for the Department of Justice to prosecute civil rights violations. Anything short of this has failed and that is why the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has received broad support among Members of Congress, major civil rights organizations, celebrities, and the private sector.
 
“Unfortunately, instead of engaging in a serious, bipartisan, bicameral debate to address the crisis of racial injustice in policing, the Senate is considering the Justice Act, a completely watered-down fake reform bill. We urge all Senators to vote no on the motion to proceed to the Justice Act and commit to a good faith negotiation on the provisions put forward by the House in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”