# Plain Language Summary: The JUSTICE Act

This bill creates new rules to make police departments more accountable and transparent when they use force. It's named after George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police violence, and it takes several different approaches to reform policing across the country.

The most significant requirement is that police departments must now report detailed information about serious incidents involving force to the FBI. Specifically, whenever a police officer kills someone, seriously injures someone, or fires a gun at someone, that incident has to be reported with information about what happened, who was involved, and details about the officer. This data gets published publicly so people can see patterns and trends in police use of force. If a police department doesn't report this information, they lose federal funding—starting with a 20 percent cut that increases by 5 percent each year they don't comply, up to a maximum of 25 percent. This creates real financial pressure on departments to participate.

The bill also addresses no-knock warrants, which are when police enter someone's home without announcing themselves first. These warrants are controversial because they can lead to dangerous situations where residents don't realize police are entering. The bill requires police departments to report when they use no-knock warrants and what happens as a result. Additionally, the bill makes it a federal crime for police officers to engage in sexual acts while using their authority as an officer—closing what's called the "consent loophole" where officers could claim someone consented to sexual contact even though they had power over that person.

The bill also funds body cameras for police departments and provides grants to help them comply with new rules. It requires police training on de-escalation techniques (ways to calm situations down without force), how to handle people experiencing mental health crises, and a "duty to intervene" where officers are trained to stop other officers from using excessive force. The bill also makes it a federal crime to participate in lynching, and it establishes a National Criminal Justice Commission to study the criminal justice system and make recommendations for improvement. Finally, it provides funding to hire more police officers and support law enforcement training programs that include education about racial history and bias.

JUSTICE Act

Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8]

Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2021 or the JUSTICE Act This bill addresses policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill funds state and local grants, incentivizes state and local reporting on the use of certain policing practices, creates new federal offenses for certain misconduct, and establishes best practices and training requirements. The bill funds state and local grants, including to support the use of body-worn cameras, to implement information sharing systems for disciplinary records of law enforcement officers, and to prohibit officers from engaging in sexual acts under color of the law. Further, it requires state and local governments that receive grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to report information related to use-of-force incidents and the use of no-knock warrants. At the federal level, the bill establishes new criminal offenses related to falsifying police reports and engaging in sexual acts under color of law. The bill directs the Department of Justice to develop training on de-escalation tactics, behavioral health crises, alternatives to the use of force, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force. Finally, the bill establishes and funds the National Criminal Justice Commission. Among other tasks, the commission must develop best practices for policing tactics and procedures.