[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 589 Introduced in House (IH)]
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114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 589
Establishing the Select Committee on Excessive Use of Police Force.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2016
Mr. Rush (for himself, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Rangel, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Clay, Mr. Lewis, Mr.
Ellison, and Ms. Moore) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Rules
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Establishing the Select Committee on Excessive Use of Police Force.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) This past year alone we have seen 7 different incidents
of the unjustified use of lethal and excessive force by police
officers against African-Americans:
(A) The death of Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old
man, by a member of the Milwaukee Police Department in
Wisconsin on April 30, 2014.
(B) The death of Eric Garner, an unarmed 43-year-
old father, by a member of the New York City Police
Department in New York on July 17, 2014.
(C) The death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old
unarmed teenager, by a member of the Ferguson Police
Department in Missouri on August 9, 2014.
(D) The death of Ezell Ford, an unarmed 25-year-old
mentally ill man by members of the Los Angeles Police
Department in California on August 11, 2014.
(E) The death of Laquan McDonald, a 17-year-old
teenager by a member of the Chicago Police Department
in Illinois on October 20, 2014.
(F) The death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy by a
member of the Cleveland Division of Police in Ohio on
November 22, 2014.
(G) The death of Anthony Hill, a 27-year-old
unarmed Air Force veteran, by a member of the DeKalb
County Police Department in Georgia on March 6, 2015.
(H) The death of Nicholas Thomas, a 23-year-old
unarmed man, by a member of the Smyrna Police
Department in Georgia on March 24, 2015.
(I) The death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old
arrested by the Baltimore Police Department for
possession of an alleged illegal switchblade on April
12, 2015.
(J) The death of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old
African-American woman found hanged in a jail cell in
Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015.
(K) The death of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old unarmed
man, by a member of the Minneapolis Police Department
in Minnesota on November 16, 2015.
(2) From 2011 to 2015, 28,500 complaints filed against
Chicago Police officers resulted in no discipline in a study
conducted by the Invisible Institute and the Mandel legal
clinic of the University of Chicago law school.
(3) These incidents and countless others are not isolated
but reflect a pervasive pattern of racial bias in the use of
excessive force in communities of color.
(4) It is the will of the Congress that a select committee
be formed to investigate these patterns of excessive use of
force in communities of color.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is hereby established in the House of Representatives the
Select Committee on Excessive Use of Police Force (hereinafter referred
to as the Select Committee).
SEC. 3. COMPOSITION.
(a) Composition.--The Select Committee shall be composed of 12
Members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, of
whom 6 shall be appointed after consultation with the Minority Leader.
(b) Chair and Ranking Member.--The Speaker shall designate one
Member to serve as chair of the Select Committee, and the Minority
Leader shall designate one Member to serve as the ranking minority
member of the Select Committee.
(c) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Select Committee shall be filled
in the same manner as the original appointment.
SEC. 4. RULES AND PROCEDURES.
Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives shall apply to
the Select Committee in the same manner as such rule applies to a
standing committee of the House, except to the extent inconsistent with
this resolution.
SEC. 5. STAFF; FUNDING.
(a) Staff.--The chair of the Select Committee, upon consultation
with the ranking minority member of the Select Committee, may employ
and fix the compensation of such staff as the chair considers necessary
to carry out this resolution.
(b) Funding.--There shall be paid out of the applicable accounts of
the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary for the
expenses of the Select Committee. Such payments shall be made on
vouchers signed by the chair of the Select Committee and approved in
the manner directed by the Committee on House Administration. Amounts
made available under this subsection shall be expended in accordance
with regulations prescribed by the Committee on House Administration.
SEC. 6. RECOMMENDATIONS.
(a) Final Report.--The Select Committee shall issue a final report
and recommendations, including legislative proposals, not later than 60
days after the date of the adoption of this resolution.
(b) Interim Findings and Reports.--In addition to the final report
and recommendations required under subsection (a), the Select Committee
may issue such interim findings and reports as it deems necessary.
SEC. 7. TERMINATION.
(a) In General.--The Select Committee and all authority granted in
this resolution shall expire upon the issuance by the Select Committee
of the final report and recommendations under section 6(a).
(b) Records.--Upon the dissolution of the Select Committee, the
records, files, and materials of the Select Committee shall be
transferred to the Clerk of the House.
SEC. 8. DUTIES.
The Select Committee is authorized and directed to conduct a full
and complete investigation and study, and to issue a report and
recommendations of its findings to the House, regarding each of the
following:
(1) A uniform definition of ``excessive use of force'' for
purposes of criminal prosecutions of law enforcement officers
who employ force against individuals suspected of criminal
offenses.
(2) Creation of national guidelines on what constitutes an
excessive use of force by law enforcement officers interacting
with individuals suspected of criminal offenses.
(3) Collection of accurate and reliable data on police
shootings and the use of excessive force, including use of
excessive force resulting in death and use of excessive force
not resulting in death.
(4) Implementation and creation of a national database to
make available to the public data on complaints filed against
law enforcement officers and departments alleging excessive use
of force by such law enforcement officers.
(5) Inclusion of demographic data on police officers
involved in shootings in the Uniform Crime Reports authorized
under section 534 of title 28, United States Code.
(6) Requirement of mandatory reporting to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation as part of the Uniform Crime Reports by
State and local law enforcement agencies of the number of
justifiable homicides committed by law enforcement officers.
(7) Creation of effective training methods and mental
counseling of a law enforcement officer to understand what is
and is not a real threat to his or her safety and the safety of
others, to focus on objective criteria in the identification of
such threats, and to examine his or her reactions to presumed
threats for any latent racial bias, animus, or hostility.
(8) Creation of adequate training, in the determination of
the Attorney General, for police officers dealing with mentally
ill persons.
(9) Requirement by the Attorney General of transparency in
internal discipline and accountability in law enforcement
agencies.
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