Ending qualified immunity (QI) in Texas is on the agenda for this legislative session. Texas’ George Floyd Act seeks to end QI in the Lone Star State, reports The Washington Post.
The George Floyd Act is a comprehensive reform bill designed to stop police violence in Texas. It is named for the longtime Houston resident who was killed in Minneapolis last spring. The bill now heads for a hearing in the Texas Capitol.
As The Washington Post notes, the George Floyd Act mirrors the federal George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This includes a provision ending QI in Texas.
Per the Post: “Earlier this month in Congress, House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Like the legislation in Texas, the bill would ban chokeholds and address so-called qualified immunity that shields law enforcement from certain lawsuits. It would also create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability.”
Support for ending qualified immunity is increasing in the Lone Star State and nationwide. With the introduction of the George Floyd Act, Texas joins a growing list of states revisiting the controversial doctrine. Read the entire article here.