UNITED STATES NEWS

On 3rd anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Biden stops GOP-led effort to block DC police reform law

May 25, 2023, 11:52 AM | Updated: 12:02 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday – the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder – vetoed an effort led by congressional Republicans to overturn a new District of Columbia law on improving police accountability.

The law was part of a push to reform policing nationwide and passed in the wake of the police killing of Floyd in 2020 in Minneapolis. Biden has said he supported many parts of the law, including the banning of chokeholds, limiting use of deadly force, improving access to body cameras and requiring training for officers to de-escalate tense situations.

“The president has repeatedly said we have an obligation to make sure that all people, all Americans are safe and that public safety defends on public trust,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She also highlighted how the new law was in line with efforts made by the federal government through executive order last year.

The veto comes as Democrats in Congress have twice this year joined with Republicans to try to block a crime and policing law in the district. The first effort Biden supported – overturning changes to the district’s criminal code.

Washington is not a state; and it lacks the same rights that states have to make and amend laws. While Congress has allowed the city’s residents some powers of “home rule,” it has retained the power to overturn district government actions. District residents also do not have voting members of Congress.

Still, Congress has not regularly used its power to repeal – until this year. Biden’s signature two months ago marked the first time in more than three decades that Congress nullified the capital city’s laws through the disapproval process — and reflected a shift in the long-held Democratic position that the federal government should let D.C. govern itself.

The earlier bill was an overhaul to the District of Columbia’s criminal code. It hasn’t been updated substantially since it was first drafted in 1901 – though Black people have been disproportionately affected by the criminal laws, similar to many other cities.

The revisions would have redefined some crimes, changed criminal justice policies and reworked how sentences should be handed down after convictions. It also would have done away with mandatory minimum sentences for many crimes and would have reduced the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking and robbery.

The Senate approved the House bill that sought to overturn the criminal code changes. about rising violent crime rates in cities nationwide and said the revisions could lead to rising crime.

In D.C., homicides in the city had risen for four years straight before they dropped around 10% in 2022. The 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest since 2003.

The Senate also voted to overturn the District of Columbia law enacted last year to improve police accountability, after six Democrats voted for the GOP-led resolution. But this time, Biden wasn’t on board.

“It is a core policy of this administration to provide law enforcement the resources they need for effective accountability and community policing,” Karine Jean-Pierre said.

And Biden, in a statement, also offered condolences to the family of George Floyd, whose death sparked anew protests over police killings of Black people, and calls to reform law enforcement nationwide.

“George Floyd’s murder exposed for many what Black and brown communities have long known and experienced — that we must make a whole of society commitment to ensure that our nation lives up to its founding promise of fair and impartial justice for all under the law,” he said.

United States News

FILE - White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi attends a speech by President Joe Biden about supply c...

Associated Press

Biden rule aims to reduce methane emissions, targeting US oil and gas industry for global warming

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, targeting the U.S. oil and natural gas industry for its role in global warming as President Joe Biden seeks to advance his climate legacy. The Environmental Protection Agency said the new rule will sharply reduce methane and other […]

5 hours ago

Associated Press

Trump and DeSantis will hold dueling campaign events in Iowa with the caucuses just six weeks away

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis plans on Saturday to complete his campaign promise to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties, a timeworn tactic for presidential candidates hoping to make their mark in the leadoff state over months mingling with voters at the state’s diners, cookouts and Pizza Ranches. But the Florida governor’s moment, […]

8 hours ago

FILE - Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is shown before administering the oath of office t...

Associated Press

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor paved a path for women on the Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (AP) — One fall day in 2010, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor slipped into the courtroom where she worked for nearly 25 years to take in an “amazing” sight. The first — and for 12 years, the only — woman on the high court saw three women in black robes among the […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

US Navy plans to raise jet plane off Hawaii coral reef using inflatable cylinders

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Navy plans to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll a jet plane off a coral reef in Hawaii before removal from the ocean waters where the aircraft crashed on Nov. 20. Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3 who is leading the salvage effort, said […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Las Vegas police search for suspect after 5 homeless people are shot, killing 2

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Five homeless people were shot in Las Vegas on Friday, two of them fatally, and police were searching for a lone suspect, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 5:30 p.m. near a freeway overpass in the northeastern part of the city, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lt. Mark Lourenco. […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Judge rejects calls to halt winter construction work on Willow oil project in Alaska during appeal

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge in Alaska on Friday rejected requests from environmental groups to halt winter construction work for the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope while the groups’ legal fight over the drilling project wages on. U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason just last month upheld the Biden administration’s […]

11 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

...

SCHWARTZ LASER EYE CENTER

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

On 3rd anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Biden stops GOP-led effort to block DC police reform law