Slotkin Votes to Pass Justice in Policing Act

WASHINGTON –– U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) today voted in favor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 1280), a package aimed at reforming policing tactics and increasing law enforcement accountability.

The bill, which Slotkin co-sponsored, now goes to the Senate for consideration. Slotkin also co-sponsored the bill in the 116th Congress when it was introduced following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

"The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is an important first step in the conversation we need to have when it comes to safe policing," Slotkin said. "For decades, communities of color have spoken out about unfair treatment and policing tactics that have resulted in the death of unarmed Black Americans, an unequal justice system, and deep pain for Black and brown communities."

"Through my conversations with community leaders and with law enforcement officials across our district, we've discussed not just this bill, but other key considerations in this conversation: that this bill is a critical first step, but by no means a comprehensive solution to systemic racism and inequality that continue to plague our country, nor the need to maintain healthy, capable police forces; and that police forces are facing serious recruitment challenges, and need to be able to recruit and retain the best talent in policing. This bill will now go to the Senate, and all parties must sit down and negotiate in good faith in order to pass meaningful reform into law. In other words, this is the beginning of the conversation, not the end."


The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act:

• Bans chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level and conditions law enforcement funding for state and local governments banning chokeholds (something Michigan has already done);
• Bans no-knock warrants in drug cases at the federal level and conditions federal funding for state and local governments to a ban on no-knock warrants at the local and state level;
• Prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling;
• Requires that federal officers use deadly force as a last resort and requires officers to employ de-escalation techniques first. Changes the standard to evaluate whether law enforcement use of force was justified from whether the force was "reasonable" to whether the force was "necessary." Conditions grants on state and local law enforcement agencies' establishing the same use of force standard;
• Opens the debate on the qualified immunity doctrine, often seen as a barrier for individuals to hold police officers accountable in civil court for conduct that violates their civil rights;
• Establishes a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave an agency while facing open disciplinary proceedings, from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability (something that is already done in Michigan);
• Mandates state and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data, disaggregated by race, sex, disability, religion, age;
• Requires the use of body cameras and dashboard cameras by federal officers, and establishes a grant program to help fund state and local body camera programs;
• Limits the future transfer of certain military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement;
• Establishes public safety innovation grants for community-based organizations to create local commissions and task forces to help communities to re-imagine and develop concrete, just, and equitable public safety approaches;
• Requires the creation of law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations;
• Creates law enforcement development and training programs to develop best practices;
• Makes it a crime for a federal law enforcement officer to engage in a sexual act with an individual who is under arrest, in detention, or in custody. It prohibits consent as a defense to prosecution for unlawful conduct. Incentivizes states to set the same standards.

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