Senate Republicans propose changes to police procedures

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled proposed changes to police procedures and accountability Wednesday, countering Democrats’ far-reaching overhaul with a more modest package but one that underscores how swiftly the national debate on race has been transformed five months before elections.

The White House signaled President Donald Trump’s support as Republicans embraced a new priority with the “Justice Act,” the most ambitious GOP policing proposal in years in response to the massive public protests over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell promised speedy action next week, when the House will also be voting on the Democratic plan. That puts the two bills on a collision course, but the momentum of suddenly shifting American attitudes is driving both. Half of adults now say police violence is a serious problem, according to an Associated Press-NORC poll.

“We hear you,” said Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina at a press conference at the Capitol. He is the GOP’s lone black senator and was chosen by Republican leaders to craft the party’s package.

The outlook is extremely fluid, as both parties see a need to meet the moment after graphic cellphone videos and a public outcry over police killings sparked a worldwide movement against racism and police violence.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the GOP package as “inadequate.” But she also said House Democrats “hope to work in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that creates meaningful change to end the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality in America.”

In the Senate, McConnell is pushing the Republican bill ahead of other priorities, all but daring less-than-satisfied Democrats to block the debate.

“We are serious about making a law,” said the GOP leader, whose home state of Kentucky has faced unrest over the officer-involved killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

The two parties’ bills take similar but far-from-identical approaches to the core issues of police accountability and procedures as Congress delves into the problem of excessive use of force and the treatment of people of color.

Central to both packages is a beefed-up database on use-of-force incidents, so officers’ records can be tracked even when they transfer from one department to another.

The GOP legislation would increase requirements for law enforcement to compile use-offorce reports under a new George Floyd and Walter Scott Notification Act, named for the Minnesota man whose May 25 death sparked worldwide protests over police violence, and Scott, a South Carolina man shot by police after a traffic stop in 2015. Scott is not related to the senator. It would also establish the Breonna Taylor Notification Act to track “no-knock” warrants, named for the Louisville woman who was killed when police used a no-knock warrant to enter her home.

The Democratic bill would go further by changing the federal statute governing police misconduct to include officers engaging in “reckless” actions.