George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025

Bill Number: H.R. 5361
Origin Chamber: House
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 1
Policy Area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2025-09-15: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Last Updated: 2026-04-21T15:52:46Z

AI-Generated Summary

Summary of H.R. 5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025

Purpose

This legislation aims to enhance accountability for law enforcement misconduct, promote transparency in policing practices through mandatory data collection, and reform training and policies to reduce excessive force, racial bias, and other abuses. It seeks to build public trust in police by addressing systemic issues highlighted by high-profile incidents of police violence, while tying compliance to federal funding for law enforcement programs.

Key Provisions

The bill is structured into five titles, outlining reforms across accountability, transparency, training, misconduct prohibitions, and miscellaneous clauses.

Title I: Police Accountability

Holding Police Accountable in the Courts (Subtitle A): Strengthens federal civil rights laws by easing prosecution standards for officers who deprive individuals of rights (e.g., lowering the intent requirement from "willfully" to "knowingly or recklessly"). Reforms qualified immunity (a legal shield for officers in civil suits) by removing defenses based on good faith or unclear law. Expands investigations into patterns of unconstitutional policing, granting subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and allowing state attorneys general to sue for relief. Introduces grants for states to conduct independent investigations of deadly force incidents and civilian review boards.
Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (Subtitle B): Requires accreditation for law enforcement agencies based on standards for accountability, use of force, and community engagement. Allocates federal grants (e.g., Byrne and COPS programs) for training, recruitment of diverse officers, oversight like civilian boards, and youth justice programs. Mandates DOJ studies on laws delaying misconduct investigations and establishes a national task force for oversight. Requires all agencies to report data on stops, searches, and deadly force, broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, and age, with penalties for non-reporting states.

Title II: Policing Transparency Through Data

National Police Misconduct Registry (Subtitle A): Creates a DOJ-maintained public database tracking complaints, discipline, terminations, and lawsuits against officers, focusing on use of force and racial profiling. Ties federal funding to states' certification programs for officer hiring and reporting to the registry.
PRIDE Act (Subtitle B): Mandates quarterly reporting of all use-of-force incidents (including deadly force, deaths in custody, and shootings), with details on demographics, circumstances, and de-escalation efforts. Provides grants for small agencies to implement reporting systems and training on de-escalation and bias. Requires audits and public reports, with funding reductions for non-compliant states or tribes.

Title III: Improving Police Training and Policies

End Racial and Religious Profiling Act (Subtitle A): Prohibits racial profiling (defined as relying on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation in stops or investigations, with limited exceptions). Requires federal, state, and local agencies to adopt anti-profiling policies, training, data collection on stops/searches (disaggregated by protected characteristics), and complaint procedures. Ties grants to compliance and funds demonstration projects for data analysis. Mandates DOJ regulations, annual reports, and best practices to eliminate profiling.
Additional Reforms (Subtitle B): Establishes mandatory DOJ training on racial bias, procedural justice, and a "duty to intervene" in excessive force cases; withholds funds from non-compliant states. Bans no-knock warrants (unannounced entries) in federal drug cases and incentivizes states to do the same via funding. Prohibits chokeholds/carotid holds, classifying them as civil rights violations. The PEACE Act sets federal standards for "necessary" and proportional use of force, requiring warnings, de-escalation, and training for vulnerable groups (e.g., youth, disabled individuals); limits funding for non-adopting states. The Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act restricts DOD transfers of military gear (e.g., bans grenades, armored vehicles, drones) to police, with accountability measures and waivers only for disasters. Authorizes grants for innovative public safety task forces and community-oriented hiring.
Law Enforcement Body Cameras (Subtitle C): Requires federal officers to wear and activate body cameras during stops or calls for service, with rules for privacy (e.g., deactivation in private homes or with victims if requested) and retention (6 months minimum, 3 years for force incidents). Prohibits facial recognition use. Mandates in-car cameras for patrol vehicles. For state/local agencies, ties grants to body camera programs with public policies, data reporting, and privacy protections; funds a DOJ training toolkit and national study on efficacy.

Title IV: Closing the Law Enforcement Consent Loophole

Amends federal law to criminalize sexual acts by officers acting under color of law (e.g., with detainees), regardless of consent, with up to 15 years imprisonment. Requires states to enact similar laws prohibiting consent as a defense, tying compliance to COPS grants. Mandates annual reporting on such incidents and dispositions.

Title V: Miscellaneous Provisions

Includes a severability clause (invalid provisions don't affect the rest) and a savings clause preserving existing civil rights remedies and tribal sovereignty.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

Criminal Standards: Amends 18 U.S.C. §242 (deprivation of rights) to include "reckless" acts and treat chokeholds as inherent violations; adds a new subsection to §2243 prohibiting officer sexual misconduct without consent defense.
Civil Rights Enforcement: Modifies 42 U.S.C. §1983 to eliminate qualified immunity defenses in misconduct suits. Expands 34 U.S.C. §12601 (pattern-or-practice investigations) with subpoena authority, state AG involvement, and reporting.
Funding Conditions: Alters Byrne and COPS grant programs (34 U.S.C. §§10151 et seq., 10381) to require 5-10% of funds for accreditation, training, anti-profiling, body cameras, and compliance; withholds funds for non-adoption of reforms (e.g., no-knock bans, use-of-force standards).
Data and Reporting: Introduces new mandates under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act for misconduct registries, use-of-force data, and profiling collection, with public access and privacy safeguards (e.g., no personal identifiers).
Equipment Transfers: Amends 10 U.S.C. §2576a to ban most military transfers to police, requiring certifications and inventories.
Use of Force: Codifies standards in new 18 U.S.C. §1123 limiting justification defenses for federal officers.

Potential Impacts

Government Agencies: DOJ gains expanded investigative tools and funding ($100M+ for grants/studies over 2026-2028), but must implement registries, training, and audits. State/local/tribal agencies face new reporting burdens and policy overhauls; non-compliance risks 10%+ funding cuts, potentially straining budgets but incentivizing reforms. Federal agencies must adopt body cameras and force standards immediately.
Citizens: Enhanced transparency and accountability could reduce excessive force, profiling, and misconduct, particularly benefiting marginalized communities (e.g., via bias training and data on disparities). Public access to registries and footage improves oversight, but raises privacy concerns for recordings. Victims gain stronger legal recourse without immunity barriers.
International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though reforms may align U.S. policing with global human rights standards, potentially improving America's image on civil liberties.

Main Stakeholders Affected

Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal police face stricter accountability, training mandates, equipment limits, and data reporting; benefits include grants for accreditation and innovation.
Citizens and Communities: Especially racial/ethnic minorities, youth, disabled individuals, and victims of misconduct, who gain protections against profiling, force, and abuse; community organizations (e.g., NAACP, ACLU) are consulted for standards and grants.
Department of Justice and Federal Government: DOJ oversees implementation, registries, and guidance; Congress receives annual reports.
States and Local Governments: Must enact laws and policies to retain funding; attorneys general gain investigation powers.
Tribal Nations: Included in definitions and grants but protected by sovereignty clauses.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

Legal: Lowers barriers to prosecuting officers (e.g., recklessness standard) and suing via qualified immunity reform, potentially increasing civil rights litigation but inviting challenges on vagueness or retroactivity. Data privacy rules align with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. §552a), balancing transparency with protections.
Constitutional: Advances Equal Protection (14th Amendment) by targeting profiling and force disparities; duty-to-intervene and consent bans reinforce due process. Body camera rules address 4th Amendment search concerns and 1st Amendment limits on intelligence gathering. Federal funding conditions may raise spending clause/federalism debates (e.g., coercion via grants), similar to past cases like NFIB v. Sebelius.
Political: Builds on 2020 post-George Floyd momentum for reform, with bipartisan cosponsors but potential partisan divides on immunity and militarization bans. Emphasizes guardian-like policing, fostering community trust, but could strain agency resources without full funding. Severability ensures partial enforceability if struck down.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4]

Cosponsors (130)

Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large], Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1], Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6], Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8], Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11], Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2], Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6], Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14], Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20], Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28], Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9], Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5], Rep. Clyburn, James E. [D-SC-6], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46], Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21], Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30], Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6], Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7], Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4], Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1], Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1], Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17], Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10], Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37], Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16], Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13], Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3], Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2], Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7], Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11], Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4], Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30], Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10], Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8], Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42], Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4], Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29], Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5], Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6], Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5], Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2], Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1], Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] and 80 more

Recent Actions

2025-09-15: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-09-15: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-09-15: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
2025-09-15: Introduced in House
2025-09-15: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-15 — PDF (137 pages)