Rep. Biggs: House Democrats do not want to work with Republicans on valuable police reform
House Judiciary Committee GOP member Rep. Andy Biggs says he's not hopeful of getting anything 'meaningful' done in the Democrat-led House.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said on Thursday that the Democrats' push to “take away” qualified immunity for police officers is going to disincentivize people to join the police force.
“They say, you don’t have to intend, you don’t have to be criminally negligent, you don’t have to be reckless, but, if you just do something wrong accidentally, you’re going to be personally liable as a cop,” the House Judiciary Committee member told “America’s Newsroom.”
“That’s actually a rearguard action to dismantle police because you won’t be able to recruit, you won’t be able to retrain, and you’re not going to be able to train new officers and folks are going to leave,” Biggs said.
“I’ve already talked to police officers who are considering seriously leaving if the Democrats’ bill becomes law."
SENATE DEMOCRATS RIP GOP POLICE REFORM BILL EVEN BEFORE PLAN UNVEILED
Both chambers of Congress are tackling police reform this week, as Senate Republicans unveiled the "Justice Act" bill and the House Judiciary Committee gets ready to work on a proposal of its own.
Sen. Tim Scott, the lone African-American GOP senator, spearheaded the legislation in the wake of George Floyd's death and nationwide protests demanding racial justice – including calls from activists to dismantle police departments. He framed the legislation as a bridge between law enforcement and communities of color.
The Senate bill came after last week Democrats in the House revealed their own "Justice in Policing Act."
Wednesday's activities come a day after President Trump signed an executive order addressing police conduct. Trump's order touches on use of force best practices, information sharing to track officers who have repeated complaints against them, and federal incentives for police departments to deploy non-police experts on issues like mental health, homelessness and addiction.
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The Justice Act also includes a provision that would make lynching a federal hate crime and would call for a study on the social status of black males that has been supported by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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