Sen. Tim Scott: 5 things to know about this SC senator and 2024 presidential candidate
5. Authored a criminal justice reform bill following the death of George Floyd
Following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May 2020, Scott took the lead in authoring a criminal justice reform bill as congressional Democrats crafted their own legislation. Scott’s legislation would have conditioned federal funding on whether or not state or local governments banned the use of “chokeholds” that temporarily restrict the ability of suspects to breathe. It would also require state and local law enforcement agencies to report statistics documenting use-of-force incidents and officer-involved deaths on an annual basis.
At the same time, Scott’s bill would have stopped short of instituting a ban on no-knock warrants that allow police to enter a property without announcing their presence by ringing a doorbell or knocking on a door. It also did not contain a provision seeking to amend federal civil rights law by eliminating the requirement that prosecutors prove an officer’s actions were “willful” when seeking misconduct charges.
Scott’s proposed legislation came at a time when Democrats controlled the House while Republicans controlled the Senate. His bill received 55 votes in the Senate, failing to secure the 60 votes necessary for passage in the upper chamber. Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Independent Angus King of Maine joined all Senate Republicans in supporting the measure, while the remaining senators, all Democrats, opposed it.
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Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
