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Congressional Democrats unveil major police reform bill

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are pushing a major police reform bill to respond to the growing unrest nationwide sparked by George Floyd’s killing two weeks ago.

"Black Lives Matter,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said. “The protests we've seen in recent days are an expression of rage born of despair."

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 is more than 130 pages long and would make changes like banning chokeholds and most no-knock warrants.

"This is a basic matter of fairness,” said Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California).

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"We must change laws and systems of accountability,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey).

The bill would make it easier to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct.

The bill would also change what’s known as qualified immunity.

Qualified immunity is a protection that shields officers from being held personally liable in lawsuits for alleged civil rights violations.

Some Republicans have expressed support in coming up with police reform legislation but it’s unclear if Republicans will get on board with this specific proposal.

This weekend, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) tweeted a photo after he joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Washington D.C.