On Monday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) spoke on the Senate floor about police reform, noting that he has given 10 speeches on policing in the past eight years. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, has called on President Biden to address the issue in the upcoming State of the Union and has invited the family of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black father and FedEx employee who died after being brutally beaten by police in Memphis, Tenn., to attend the address. Negotiations between Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Scott, and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) on police reform broke down in 2021, but Horsford remains hopeful that progress can be made on a legislative level. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has called on Booker and Scott to “revive that effort,” referring to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed in the House in 2021 but faced steep Republican opposition in the Senate. However, even if a new version of police reform legislation were to be approved by the Senate, it would then have to pass the Republican-controlled House. On Monday night, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) spoke on the Senate floor about the need for police reform in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols, calling on Congress to pass legislation that would help keep communities safe. Scott noted that he has given 10 speeches on policing in the past eight years and criticized Democrats for blocking consideration of his policing reform measure in 2020. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, has called on President Biden to address the issue in the upcoming State of the Union and is working to negotiate on the principles of justice and police reform. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) has called on Booker and Scott to “revive that effort” and reintroduce the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. However, the legislation would have to pass the Republican-controlled House in order to become law.
NPR: Revived Calls for Congress to Address Police Reform After Tyre Nichols’ Killing
