Nearly two years ago, negotiations fell apart along partisan lines, pushing the issue of police brutality to the back of the line of legislative priorities
The country watched the now hauntingly familiar scene play out across its screens. Family members tearfully pleaded for change. Lawmakers in Washington pledged to pass meaningful reform.
And then, as before, negotiations fell apart along partisan lines, pushing the issue of police brutality to the back of the line of legislative priorities, underscoring again how Congress often fails to deliver solutions even when there is broad agreement on the problem. Nichols’ parents are set to attend Biden’s State of the Union address next week, hoping to increase pressure on the president and Washington. And the same lawmakers who were close to a deal the last time are now looking to see if any remnants of a compromise have the chance of passing a newly divided Congress.
The talks focused on writing compromise legislation curbing law enforcement agencies’ use of force and making them more accountable for abuses. But negotiations stalled over Democrats’ demands to make individual police officers accused of abuses liable for civil penalties. It’s currently difficult to pursue such actions, called “qualified immunity,” in all but the most egregious cases.
The conversations between Scott and Booker began over the weekend and are expected to continue through this week. In the House, Rep. Steve Horsford, D-Nev., the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, reached out to set up a meeting with Scott and the White House, separately.
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