Reform bill named for Floyd gets first test
George Floyd’s loved ones appeared before a state House committee on Thursday to support a sweeping police reform bill named for the former Houston resident, who was killed last May when a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to the neck for almost nine minutes.
Floyd, a Black man, has become a symbol of the movement against police brutality and systemic racism in the United States. The bill named in his honor would introduce a series of reforms, including new requirements that police develop new policies emphasizing conflict de-escalation tactics and receive racial sensitivity training. The legislation also would ban police from using chokeholds to subdue people and would require officers to stop their colleagues from using excessive force.
“We have been sentenced to a life without George, and we will be reminded for the rest of our lives of the horrific way that he was killed at the hands of police,” said Tera Brown, Floyd’s cousin. “I believe that the outcome for him could have been different if at least one of the officers tried to intervene or offer aid — yet none of the officers stepped in to help him.
“He could, possibly, still be alive today.”
As the bill faced its first test in the Texas House’s public safety committee Thursday, the most disputed change appeared to be a provision scrapping some legal protections
for officers who violate a person’s rights. Similar legislation in Congress — the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act — passed the House earlier this month despite opposition from every Republican lawmaker in the chamber.
“Let’s put the right people behind the badge,” testified Travis Cains, Floyd’s close friend. “You’re not there to kill. You’re there to protect and serve.”
Thursday’s hearing was just the first step in a long road to approve
the Texas bill. It would need to pass both chambers and earn Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature to become law.
It’s unclear where Abbott stands on the bill, though it was the governor who first floated the idea of a George Floyd Act last summer at a public memorial. An Abbott spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Many of those who testified in opposition to the bill acknowledged the need for at least some of its measures but rejected a total
abandonment of qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields officers from liability if they violate someone’s civil rights while on duty.
Stan Standridge, the president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, said the group objected to the bill as written — but “not entirely.” While he supports some of the bill’s provisions — including de-escalation tactics and a responsibility to intervene — he said tossing qualified immunity could endanger officers who are truly performing their jobs to the best of their ability.
Often, officers are involved in situations where they don’t yet know all the facts but still have to make split-second decisions. They need to be able to take action in those cases without fear of legal consequences, Standridge said.
“Now is the time to make change,” he said. “We just need to be careful stewards of said change.”
Deandre’ Hutchison, the president of the Afro American Police Officers’ League, similarly said his organization supported a statewide misconduct database, de-escalation tactics and mandatory body cameras but feared a total repeal of qualified immunity.
“We have to make this distinction very clear: When officers violate people’s civil rights and the oath they took to protect and serve, that’s when they need to be held accountable,” Hutchison said. “And that’s where we have to close the loopholes — not punish the officers that are doing this job the right way.”
“This bill is not about punishing the good cops. There are many of them out there, and we’re thankful for their service,” said state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-houston, the sponsor of the legislation. “This bill is about preserving the sanctity of life. … It is about transparency and accountability, and it is about preventing others from abusing the power that the state of Texas gives to officers in order to protect our communities across the state.”