H.R. 7120, titled “The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” would further interject the federal government in local law enforcement. As summarized by the Congressional Research Service, the bill “authorizes the Department of Justice to issue subpoenas in investigations of police departments for a pattern or practice of discrimination”; “establishes a framework to prohibit racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels”; and “establishes new requirements for law enforcement officers and agencies, including … wear[ing] body cameras.”
The House passed H.R. 7120 on June 25, 2020 by a vote of 236 to 181 (Roll Call 119). We have assigned pluses to the nays because law enforcement is a local or state matter, and that is where decisions such as requiring police officers to wear body cameras should be made. By contrast, H.R. 7120 would move the country further in the direction of a federalized police force beholden to Washington.
