Congressman Sires Votes for Important Election and Policing Reforms

(Washington, DC) – Yesterday, Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ) voted in favor of two important pieces of legislation: H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which passed the House by a vote of  and H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which passed by a vote 220-212.

“I was proud to vote in favor of both the For the People Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” stated Rep. Sires. “The former is key in the fight to ensure voting rights and the integrity of our elections are protected while the latter is an important step forward as we confront the systemic racism in our society. Last night’s votes reinforce my ardent support for policies that will make our society a more just, transparent, and accountable one.”

H.R. 1, the For the People Act, seeks to prevent the suppression of voters’ rights, end the undue influence of mega donors in elections, and enforce consequences for unethical behavior by elected officials. Included in the bill are provisions to expand automatic voter registration, strengthening ballot access, combat voter intimidation and suppression, protect our elections from foreign interference, enforce ethics rules, empower small donors, and require disclosure of dark money.

H.R. 1280, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, provides resources to improve police training and practices by ending racial and religious profiling. H.R. 1280 would also ban no-knock warrants in drug cases, ban chokeholds and carotid holds, raise the standard to evaluate whether use of force was justified, limit the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement, and require federal, state, and local law enforcement use body cameras. It would hold police accountable in courts by reforming qualified immunity so that people aren’t barred from recovering damages, amending the mens rea requirement, giving the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division subpoena power, and incentivizing the creation of independent investigative structures. Additionally, it seeks to improve transparency by creating a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent officers from changing jurisdictions to avoid accountability and mandating state and local law enforcement agencies report detailed use of force data.

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