I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7144 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the reckless use of 
excessive force under the color of law, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 8, 2020 
Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. MFUME, Mr. RYAN, and Mr. CARSON of In-
diana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the reck-
less use of excessive force under the color of law, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Law Enforcement 
Oversight and Reform Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON EXCESSIVE FORCE, RESPIRATORY 
CHOKEHOLDS UNDER THE COLOR OF LAW. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘§ 250. Excessive force under the color of law 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever, being a law enforce-
ment officer, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, 
regulation, or custom, subjects any person in any State, 
Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District, reck-
lessly subjects any person to force in violation of the 
Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable 
seizures, shall be punished as provided in subsection (c). 
‘‘(b) CHOKEHOLDS.—A respiratory chokehold shall 
not be considered force that is reasonably necessary under 
subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) PUNISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The punishment for an of-
fense under this section is a fine of not less than 
$10,000, imprisonment under paragraph (2), or 
both. 
‘‘(2) TERM OF IMPRISONMENT.—The term of 
imprisonment for an offense under this section is— 
‘‘(A) if death results, for any term of years 
or for life, but no less than 10 years; 
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‘‘(B) if serious bodily injury other than 
death results, for not more than 10 years, but 
no less than 5 years; and 
‘‘(C) in any other case, for not more than 
3 years, but no less than one year. 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed to limit the Attorney General’s re-
sponsibilities or provision of relief under section 210401 
of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act 
of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12601). 
‘‘(e) DEFINITION.—The term ‘law enforcement offi-
cer’— 
‘‘(1) means an official empowered by law to 
conduct investigations of, to make arrests for, or to 
detain individuals suspected or convicted of, criminal 
or civil offenses; and 
‘‘(2) includes an official ordered to perform a 
function described in paragraph (1) by a superior 
empowered to do so under law, or by Executive 
order. 
‘‘(f) REPORT.—On the date that is one year after the 
date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, 
the Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on 
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the 
Senate a report that includes a description of and the 
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number of convictions under this section during the pre-
vious year.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for chapter 13 of title 18 is amended by adding after the 
item related to section 249 the following: 
‘‘250. Excessive force under the color of law.’’. 
SEC. 3. APPLICATION TO STATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A State or unit of local govern-
ment may not receive funds that the jurisdiction would 
otherwise receive 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.) for any fiscal year in which 
the jurisdiction does not have in place a law that is con-
sistent with section 250 of title 18, United States Code, 
as determined by the Attorney General. 
(b) SUBSEQUENT ENACTMENT AFTER DENIAL OF 
FUNDS.—In the case that funds are withheld from a State 
or other jurisdiction pursuant to subsection (a), and the 
State or other jurisdiction subsequently enacts or puts in 
place a law described in subsection (a), and demonstrates 
substantial efforts to enforce such law, the State or other 
jurisdiction shall be eligible, in the subsequent fiscal year, 
to receive the total amount that the State or other juris-
diction would have received in each fiscal year for which 
funds were withheld, not to exceed funds that the jurisdic-
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tion would have received during the previous 2-year pe-
riod. 
(c) APPLICATION.—This section shall apply begin-
ning in the first fiscal year that begins after the date that 
is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General 
shall publish in the Federal Register interim final rules 
implementing this section. The Attorney General shall fi-
nalize such rules not later than 90 days after the date 
of publication of the interim final rules. 
Æ 
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