■ The House passed election and policing reform bills before leaving early for the week amid a potential militia threat.

Democrats pass bills on election, policing reform

WASHINGTON — The House abruptly finished its work for the week Wednesday amid a threat of violence at the Capitol by a militia group seeking to storm the building, as happened in a deadly siege Jan. 6. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer notified lawmakers late Wednesday of the sudden schedule change.

The House had been scheduled to be in session Thursday but moved up consideration of its remaining legislative item, the George Floyd Justice in Police Act, to Wednesday night.

That bill was approved 220-212 late Wednesday. It would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability.

Capitol Police said Wednesday they have uncovered intelligence of a “possible plot” by a militia group to breach the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

Before leaving, House Democrats passed sweeping voting and ethics legislation Wednesday over unanimous Republican opposition, advancing to the Senate what would be the largest overhaul of the U.S. election law in at least a generation.

House Resolution 1, which touches on virtually every aspect of the electoral process, was approved on a near party-line 220-210 vote. It would restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, strike down hurdles to voting and bring transparency to a murky campaign finance system, supporters say.

To Republicans, though, it heralds an expansion of the federal government’s role in elections, infringing on states that limit ballot access in the name of election security.

The biggest obstacles lie ahead in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.

Some Democrats have discussed options such as lowering the threshold to break a filibuster or creating a workaround that would allow priority legislation, including a separate John Lewis Voting Rights bill, to be exempt.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not committed to a timeframe but vowed “to figure out the best way to get big, bold action on a whole lot of fronts.”

He said, “We’re not going to be the legislative graveyard. … People are going to be forced to vote on them, yes or no, on a whole lot of very important and serious issues.”