I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1280 
To hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve 
transparency through data collection, and reform police training and policies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 24, 2021 
Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. NADLER, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. 
HOYER, Mr. CLYBURN, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. 
AGUILAR, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. COHEN, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Georgia, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. 
LIEU, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. CORREA, Ms. GAR-
CIA of Texas, Mr. NEGUSE, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. STANTON, Ms. DEAN, 
Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. JONES, Ms. ROSS, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. AUCHINCLOSS, 
Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BEYER, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. BOURDEAUX, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. 
BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. BROWN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CART-
WRIGHT, Mr. CASTEN, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. 
CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CON-
NOLLY, Mr. COOPER, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. CROW, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS 
of Illinois, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. 
DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Ms. LEGER 
FERNANDEZ, Mr. FOSTER, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. FUDGE, 
Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GREEN of 
Texas, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. 
HOULAHAN, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. JACOBS of California, Ms. JOHNSON of 
Texas, Mr. KAHELE, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILDEE, 
Mr. KILMER, Mr. KIM
of New Jersey, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. LAWSON of 
Florida, Mr. LEVIN
of Michigan, Mr. LEVIN
of California, Mr. 
LOWENTHAL, Mr. MALINOWSKI, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 
York, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Ms. MANNING, Ms. 
MATSUI, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNER-
NEY, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Mr. MFUME, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. 
MORELLE, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. MRVAN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEAL, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. O’HALLERAN, Ms. OMAR, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PA-
NETTA, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. 
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PLASKETT, Mr. POCAN, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Miss RICE of New 
York, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. 
RUSH, Mr. SARBANES, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. 
SHERMAN, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. 
LYNCH, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. 
TORRES of California, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. 
TRONE, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WELCH, Ms. WILD, Ms. 
WILLIAMS of Georgia, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. YARMUTH, Ms. CHU, 
Mr. BERA, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. SIRES, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Ms. WEXTON, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. DAVIDS of Kan-
sas, Mr. ALLRED, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. NEWMAN, 
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. KEATING, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. GOMEZ, 
Mr. RYAN, and Mr. DELGADO) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, 
improve transparency through data collection, and reform 
police training and policies. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY 
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Subtitle A—Holding Police Accountable in the Courts 
Sec. 101. Deprivation of rights under color of law. 
Sec. 102. Qualified immunity reform. 
Sec. 103. Pattern and practice investigations. 
Sec. 104. Independent investigations. 
Subtitle B—Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act 
Sec. 111. Short title. 
Sec. 112. Definitions. 
Sec. 113. Accreditation of law enforcement agencies. 
Sec. 114. Law enforcement grants. 
Sec. 115. Attorney General to conduct study. 
Sec. 116. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 117. National task force on law enforcement oversight. 
Sec. 118. Federal data collection on law enforcement practices. 
TITLE II—POLICING TRANSPARENCY THROUGH DATA 
Subtitle A—National Police Misconduct Registry 
Sec. 201. Establishment of National Police Misconduct Registry. 
Sec. 202. Certification requirements for hiring of law enforcement officers. 
Subtitle B—PRIDE Act 
Sec. 221. Short title. 
Sec. 222. Definitions. 
Sec. 223. Use of force reporting. 
Sec. 224. Use of force data reporting. 
Sec. 225. Compliance with reporting requirements. 
Sec. 226. Federal law enforcement reporting. 
Sec. 227. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE III—IMPROVING POLICE TRAINING AND POLICIES 
Subtitle A—End Racial and Religious Profiling Act 
Sec. 301. Short title. 
Sec. 302. Definitions. 
PART I—PROHIBITION OF RACIAL PROFILING 
Sec. 311. Prohibition. 
Sec. 312. Enforcement. 
PART II—PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE RACIAL PROFILING BY FEDERAL LAW 
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES 
Sec. 321. Policies to eliminate racial profiling. 
PART III—PROGRAMS TO ELIMINATE RACIAL PROFILING BY STATE AND 
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES 
Sec. 331. Policies required for grants. 
Sec. 332. Involvement of Attorney General. 
Sec. 333. Data collection demonstration project. 
Sec. 334. Development of best practices. 
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Sec. 335. Authorization of appropriations. 
PART IV—DATA COLLECTION 
Sec. 341. Attorney General to issue regulations. 
Sec. 342. Publication of data. 
Sec. 343. Limitations on publication of data. 
PART V—DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REGULATIONS AND REPORTS ON RACIAL 
PROFILING IN THE UNITED STATES 
Sec. 351. Attorney General to issue regulations and reports. 
Subtitle B—Additional Reforms 
Sec. 361. Training on racial bias and duty to intervene. 
Sec. 362. Ban on no-knock warrants in drug cases. 
Sec. 363. Incentivizing banning of chokeholds and carotid holds. 
Sec. 364. PEACE Act. 
Sec. 365. Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act. 
Sec. 366. Public safety innovation grants. 
Subtitle C—Law Enforcement Body Cameras 
PART 1—FEDERAL POLICE CAMERA AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT 
Sec. 371. Short title. 
Sec. 372. Requirements for Federal law enforcement officers regarding the use 
of body cameras. 
Sec. 373.
Patrol vehicles with in-car video recording cameras. 
Sec. 374. Facial recognition technology. 
Sec. 375. GAO study. 
Sec. 376. Regulations. 
Sec. 377. Rule of construction. 
PART 2—POLICE CAMERA ACT 
Sec. 381. Short title. 
Sec. 382. Law enforcement body-worn camera requirements. 
TITLE IV—CLOSING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CONSENT 
LOOPHOLE 
Sec. 401. Short title. 
Sec. 402. Prohibition on engaging in sexual acts while acting under color of 
law. 
Sec. 403. Enactment of laws penalizing engaging in sexual acts while acting 
under color of law. 
Sec. 404. Reports to Congress. 
Sec. 405. Definition. 
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 501. Severability. 
Sec. 502. Savings clause. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
BYRNE
GRANT
PROGRAM.—The 
term 
‘‘Byrne grant program’’ means any grant program 
under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10151 et seq.), without regard to whether 
the funds are characterized as being made available 
under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local 
Law Enforcement Assistance Programs, the Local 
Government Law Enforcement Block Grants Pro-
gram, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assist-
ance Grant Program, or otherwise. 
(2) COPS GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘COPS 
grant program’’ means the grant program author-
ized under section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10381). 
(3) FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.— 
The term ‘‘Federal law enforcement agency’’ means 
any agency of the United States authorized to en-
gage in or supervise the prevention, detection, inves-
tigation, or prosecution of any violation of Federal 
criminal law. 
(4) FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.— 
The term ‘‘Federal law enforcement officer’’ has the 
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meaning given the term in section 115 of title 18, 
United States Code. 
(5) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 
section 901 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251). 
(6) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.—The 
term ‘‘local law enforcement officer’’ means any offi-
cer, agent, or employee of a State or unit of local 
government authorized by law or by a government 
agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, de-
tection, or investigation of any violation of criminal 
law. 
(7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 901 of title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251). 
(8) TRIBAL
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
OFFICER.— 
The term ‘‘tribal law enforcement officer’’ means 
any officer, agent, or employee of an Indian tribe, or 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, authorized by law or 
by a government agency to engage in or supervise 
the prevention, detection, or investigation of any vio-
lation of criminal law. 
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(9) UNIT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term 
‘‘unit of local government’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 901 of title I of the Omnibus 
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10251). 
(10) DEADLY
FORCE.—The term ‘‘deadly 
force’’ means that force which a reasonable person 
would consider likely to cause death or serious bodily 
harm, including— 
(A) the discharge of a firearm; 
(B) a maneuver that restricts blood or oxy-
gen flow to the brain, including chokeholds, 
strangleholds, neck restraints, neckholds, and 
carotid artery restraints; and 
(C) multiple discharges of an electronic 
control weapon. 
(11) USE OF FORCE.—The term ‘‘use of force’’ 
includes— 
(A) the use of a firearm, electronic control 
weapon, explosive device, chemical agent (such 
as pepper spray), baton, impact projectile, blunt 
instrument, hand, fist, foot, canine, or vehicle 
against an individual; 
(B) the use of a weapon, including a per-
sonal body weapon, chemical agent, impact 
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weapon, extended range impact weapon, sonic 
weapon, sensory weapon, conducted energy de-
vice, or firearm, against an individual; or 
(C) any intentional pointing of a firearm 
at an individual. 
(12) LESS LETHAL FORCE.—The term ‘‘less le-
thal force’’ means any degree of force that is not 
likely to cause death or serious bodily injury. 
(13) FACIAL RECOGNITION.—The term ‘‘facial 
recognition’’ means an automated or semiautomated 
process that analyzes biometric data of an individual 
from video footage to identify or assist in identifying 
an individual. 
TITLE I—POLICE 
ACCOUNTABILITY 
Subtitle A—Holding Police 
Accountable in the Courts 
SEC. 101. DEPRIVATION OF RIGHTS UNDER COLOR OF LAW. 
Section 242 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘willfully’’ and inserting ‘‘know-
ingly or recklessly’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘, or may be sentenced to 
death’’; and 
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(3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘For 
purposes of this section, an act shall be considered 
to have resulted in death if the act was a substantial 
factor contributing to the death of the person.’’. 
SEC. 102. QUALIFIED IMMUNITY REFORM. 
Section 1979 of the Revised Statutes of the United 
States (42 U.S.C. 1983) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: ‘‘It shall not be a defense or immunity in 
any action brought under this section against a local law 
enforcement officer (as such term is defined in section 2 
of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021), or 
in any action under any source of law against a Federal 
investigative or law enforcement officer (as such term is 
defined in section 2680(h) of title 28, United States 
Code), that— 
‘‘(1) the defendant was acting in good faith, or 
that the defendant believed, reasonably or otherwise, 
that his or her conduct was lawful at the time when 
the conduct was committed; or 
‘‘(2) the rights, privileges, or immunities se-
cured by the Constitution and laws were not clearly 
established at the time of their deprivation by the 
defendant, or that at such time, the state of the law 
was otherwise such that the defendant could not rea-
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sonably have been expected to know whether his or 
her conduct was lawful.’’. 
SEC. 103. PATTERN AND PRACTICE INVESTIGATIONS. 
(a) SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.—Section 210401 of the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 
(34 U.S.C. 12601) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, by pros-
ecutors,’’ after ‘‘conduct by law enforcement offi-
cers’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the 
authority in subsection (b), the Attorney General may re-
quire by subpoena the production of all information, docu-
ments, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and 
other data in any medium (including electronically stored 
information), as well as any tangible thing and documen-
tary evidence, and the attendance and testimony of wit-
nesses necessary in the performance of the Attorney Gen-
eral under subsection (b). Such a subpoena, in the case 
of contumacy or refusal to obey, shall be enforceable by 
order of any appropriate district court of the United 
States. 
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‘‘(d) CIVIL ACTION
BY STATE ATTORNEYS GEN-
ERAL.—Whenever it shall appear to the attorney general 
of any State, or such other official as a State may des-
ignate, that a violation of subsection (a) has occurred 
within their State, the State attorney general or official, 
in the name of the State, may bring a civil action in the 
appropriate district court of the United States to obtain 
appropriate equitable and declaratory relief to eliminate 
the pattern or practice. In carrying out the authority in 
this subsection, the State attorney general or official shall 
have the same subpoena authority as is available to the 
Attorney General under subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to limit the authority of the Attor-
ney General under subsection (b) in any case in which a 
State attorney general has brought a civil action under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—On the date that 
is one year after the enactment of the George Floyd Jus-
tice in Policing Act of 2021, and annually thereafter, the 
Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice shall 
make publicly available on an internet website a report 
on, during the previous year— 
‘‘(1) the number of preliminary investigations 
of violations of subsection (a) that were commenced; 
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‘‘(2) the number of preliminary investigations 
of violations of subsection (a) that were resolved; 
and 
‘‘(3) the status of any pending investigations of 
violations of subsection (a).’’. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney Gen-
eral may award a grant to a State to assist the 
State in conducting pattern and practice investiga-
tions under section 210401(d) of the Violent Crime 
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 
U.S.C. 12601). 
(2) APPLICATION.—A State seeking a grant 
under paragraph (1) shall submit an application in 
such form, at such time, and containing such infor-
mation as the Attorney General may require. 
(3) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated $100,000,000 to the Attorney General for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024 to carry out 
this subsection. 
(c) DATA ON EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE.—Section 
210402 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforce-
ment Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12602) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘The Attorney General’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) FEDERAL
COLLECTION
OF
DATA.—The 
Attorney General’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) STATE COLLECTION OF DATA.—The attor-
ney general of a State may, through appropriate 
means, acquire data about the use of excessive force 
by law enforcement officers and such data may be 
used by the attorney general in conducting investiga-
tions under section 210401. This data may not con-
tain any information that may reveal the identity of 
the victim or any law enforcement officer.’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION ON USE OF DATA ACQUIRED BY 
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.—Data acquired under sub-
section (a)(1) shall be used only for research or statistical 
purposes and may not contain any information that may 
reveal the identity of the victim or any law enforcement 
officer.’’. 
(d) ENFORCEMENT OF PATTERN OR PRACTICE RE-
LIEF.—Beginning in the first fiscal year that begins after 
the date that is one year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, a State or unit of local government that receives 
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