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Photo by Andy Feliciotti on Unsplash
Only One Republican Voted in Favor of the George Floyd Police Reform Bill, And He Did it By Mistake
The House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by a margin of 220-212.
On Wednsday, the United States House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a reform bill banning chokeholds and altering qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. The bill was passed by a margin of eight votes, 220 in favor and 212 against. One vote in favor of the bill--that of Republican representative Lance Gooden--was apparently cast by mistake.
"I accidentally pressed the wrong voting button," Gooden said in a now-deleted tweet, "and realized it too late. I have changed the official record to reflect my opposition to the partisan George Floyd Policing Act."
The bill will also ban no-knock warrants "in certain cases," mandate data collection on police encounters, and attempt to prohibit racial and religious profiling. The bill includes a section that would redirect funding to community-based policing programs.
The House passed a similar bill last year, but the legislation was struck down in the Republican-controlled Senate. This year, Senate Democrats would need to sway at least 10 Republican members to pass the bill.
\u201cI am pleased that the House will vote next week on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. I encourage the House to pass it. Following Senate consideration, I hope to be able to sign into law a landmark police reform bill.\u201d— President Biden (@President Biden) 1614272640
Joe Biden praised the legislation in a statement. "To make our communities safe," the statement reads, "we must begin by rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the people they are entrusted to serve and protect. We cannot rebuild that trust if we do not hold police officers accountable for abuses of power and tackle systemic misconduct – and systemic racism – in police departments."
The Derek Chauvin trial is scheduled to begin in Minneapolis on March 8th. Stay tuned for further updates regarding the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the Derek Chauvin trial.
