WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers are working to address nationwide calls for police reforms, but Republicans and Democrats have different ideas on what that may look like.
Two lawmakers on different sides of the aisle – Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) – agree Congress needs to enact laws to prevent police brutality in African American communities.
“I’m hoping to roll out a package of solutions to some of the issues that we face as a nation,” the Republican senator from South Carolina said.
“People are crying out for justice,” Bishop added.
But they have different ideas on how to get the job done.
Scott was one of the first senators to call for the arrest of all four officers involved in the death of George Floyd. The Minnesota Attorney General charged all four this week.
“It’s a step in the right direction, maybe even a leap in the right direction,” Scott said.
Scott said the next step should be the passage of his “Walter Scott Notification Act” that would force states to report on officer-involved shootings.
Floyd’s death has sparked nationwide outrage, with protests spanning the globe.
In Washington, the mayor joined protesters Friday in sending a message to the federal government by painting the words “Black Lives Matter” on the road that leads directly to the White House.
Bishop said he has watched the protests on the streets in his state of Georgia for Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, a black man that was shot while jogging by two white men in South Georgia.
Bishop said Congress needs to take sweeping action now.
“Making our democracy and making our country a country of freedom and justice for all is going to be a continuous effort,” Bishop said.
Bishop said House Democrats will soon introduce an extensive package of police reforms that would lay out new national policing standards.
