The US House of Representatives passed a police reform bill on Wednesday that bans the use of chokeholds and combats racial profiling. This comes five days before the trial of a police officer, charged with the murder of African-American George Floyd, is starting. The police reform bill is named after Floyd, who died on May 25, 2020, in Minnesota after officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. 

The killing of Floyd, which was caught on video, sparked a nationwide outrage against racial injustice and police brutality followed by weeks of unrest in the US caused by mass demonstrations. 

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The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was cleared in the House last year, however, it was blocked in the Republican-led Senate. The bill last week was reintroduced in the Senate, now narrowly controlled by Democrats after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, and it was passed on Wednesday along party lines, 220 to 212, reports AFP. 

The bill faced opposition by two Democrats, while it was supported by only one Republican senator. 

Before the vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Nearly one year ago, George Floyd gasped his last words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ and ignited a nationwide reckoning on the racial injustice and police brutality in America.”

“This legislation will not erase centuries of systemic racism and excessive policing in America,” Pelosi said adding that it takes a “tremendous step” toward stopping the violence and improving relations between law enforcement and communities they serve. 

Biden on Wednesday told Democrats that he

The bill bans choke holds and no-knock warrants, combats racial profiling, limits the transfer of military equipment to local police forces and establishes a database to track officer misconduct.

After the bill was passed in the House, Floyd’s family in a statement by their attorneys said, “This represents a major step forward to reform the relationship between police officers and communities of color and impose accountability on law enforcement officers.”

The trial of Chauvin, charged with second-degree murder of Floyd, begins Monday in Minneapolis.

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The House also passed a bill aimed at lowering voting barriers nationwide after passing the police reform bill.

The For the People Act, a bill that was a top Democractic priority,  would expand no-excuse voting by mail, make voter registration automatic, outlaw partisan redistricting and impose new requirements on so-called dark money donations to political groups.

The two bills now head to the Senate, with their fates uncertain in a chamber divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.