Texas Lawmakers Introduce ‘George Floyd Act’ Legislation

As the election heats up and the noise from the campaign grows, the protests over police brutality in America have continued onward. Several states and cities have made changes to policing policies but the issue seems to have been nearly forgotten and put on hold as America awaits the upcoming election.

The Texas Legislative Black Caucus will be attempting to address a few of those issues with its fellow lawmakers as they introduced the George Floyd Act on Thursday (Aug. 13) according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The legislation is aimed to stop police use of force and encourage more criminal justice reform in Texas.

Provisions of the bill include a prohibition on chokeholds, ending arrests for non-jailable, fine-only offenses, addressing qualified immunity protections and requiring officers to intervene and render aid when excessive force is used. - via Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Lawmakers went on to add that issues such as eliminating no-knock warrants and ensuring officers activate body cameras, will be addressed in several additional bills lawmakers plan to file this upcoming session when the Legislature is set to reconvene in January.