Five of Alabama’s U.S. Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of Senator Tim Scott’s (R-SC) JUSTICE Act that aims to be a sensible package of police reforms to address some of the issues brought to light by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The co-sponsors are Reps. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Gary Palmer (R-Homewood). As Yellowhammer News detailed on Thursday, Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) are also co-sponsors of the legislation.
Scott, the only black Republican in the U.S. Senate, has emerged as the GOP’s leader on the issue of criminal justice in recent weeks. His bill has 121 Republican co-sponsors in the U.S. House.
In a video posted to Twitter, Scott explained his priorities for the JUSTICE Act.
What's in the #JUSTICEAct? Let's take a walk through it. pic.twitter.com/qbHx3DtTt4
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) June 18, 2020
Scott says the effort is a series of “commonsense steps” to do things like “ending the use of chokeholds and increasing the use of body worn cameras, to providing more resources for police departments to better train officers and make stronger hiring decisions.”
Roby commented on June 4, near the height of the George Floyd protests, “After much deep reflection, there are no right words I can say to take away the pain of those suffering. Now is a time for understanding. I am listening.”
Scott’s bill has very strong backing in the Republican-controlled Senate, but faces an uneven path in the House, where Democratic leadership is pushing its own bill that includes provisions such as ending qualified immunity for police officers and other measures that amount to more of an overhaul than a reform.
Scott has said his effort is “grounded in bipartisan principles” and hopes his colleagues the other side of the aisle can start discussing an agreement.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
