Senate Republicans released their police reform legislation Wednesday in response to the killing of George Floyd and the ongoing protests.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the legislation in a press conference Wednesday morning, which comes just one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on police reform with many Senate Republicans.
The legislation will include a “notification act so that we can understand and appreciate the 30,000 plus no-knocks that happen around the country to see where they’re happening so we have more information,” Scott said. It is supposed to include anti-lynching legislation that was stalled by Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in the Senate. The legislation also calls for more funding for body cameras. (RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Lays Out What He Expects In GOP Police Reform Legislation)
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only African-American Republican senator, talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill June 09, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
McConnell appointed Scott to lead the party’s effort in passing a police overhaul bill before July 4. The South Carolina senator has ruled out including a revision to qualified immunity — a key measure supported by Democrats and others. (RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Fires Back At Those Calling Him A ‘Token’ For Drafting GOP Police Reform Legislation)
The group of Republican senators who worked on the bill includes Scott’s fellow South Carolina senator, Lindsay Graham, as well as Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.