Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia Voted to pass Bipartisan George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) voted to pass H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act - bold, transformative legislation to reimagine the culture of policing in America with unprecedented reforms to curb police brutality, end racial profiling, eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement, and build greater trust between law enforcement and our communities. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed in a bipartisan 236-181 vote.

"America is experiencing a moment of great pain as we grieve for those killed by police brutality and racial injustice," said Congresswoman Garcia.  "As a person of faith, I was taught that we are all God's children; however, George Floyd was not treated as such as he repeatedly said, "I Can't Breathe." Across the country, we have been inspired by Americans from every walk of life who have peacefully marched and protested day in and day out to call for an end to the status quo. To honor my responsibility to Texas families and the American people, I proudly joined the Congressional Black Caucus and my colleagues to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act with critical reforms to address systemic racism while increasing transparency to ensure police are held accountable. This moment demands that we act with urgency to deliver progress and save lives, and that is exactly what we achieve with this critical legislation."

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act will take key steps to achieve 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;
• Making lynching a federal hate crime; and more.

"The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a critical first step in our nation's ongoing fight to eradicate racism and systemic injustice," concluded Congresswoman Garcia. "I now call on Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to abandon their weak, failed bill and to bring up and consider in the Senate this strong House-passed legislation. As we continue to advance this critical work, I will continue to reaffirm the truth that Black Lives Matter."

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees.