Bipartisan police reform negotiations collapse in Senate George Floyd Act dies

Bipartisan negotiations over the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act collapse in the Senate, killing the most comprehensive federal police reform legislation in decades. Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Karen Bass (D-CA) had negotiated for months following the Chauvin conviction. The talks break down over Republican refusal to end qualified immunity, the legal doctrine shielding officers from civil lawsuits, and their opposition to a national police misconduct registry. The bill had already passed the House 220-212 largely along party lines in March 2021. Biden had repeatedly called for Congress to pass the bill by the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder. Without 60 Senate votes to overcome the filibuster, the legislation dies without a floor vote.