State Senator Cunningham Praises Rep. Sires for Leadership in Passing George Floyd Police Justice Bill 

WEST NEW YORK, NJ — State Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-Jersey City) is praising Congressman Albio Sires (D-Hudson) for his leadership in co-sponsoring and supporting the “George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” which was approved by the House of Representatives last week. The bill includes several significant police reforms undertaken in the wake of national outrage sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis.

“This is a moment in our history where we will all be judged on the actions we take to address a broken system that has failed our community for too long, and Congressman Sires has met that moment,” said Senator Cunningham. “I want to thank Congressman Sires for his commitment to reform and his long record of standing with the Black community on racial justice issues, from voting rights to economic disenfranchisement and much more. We can always count on Albio Sires to stand with us on the toughest fights because he understands the struggle for full equality.”

The legislation Congressman Sires supports calls for an end to qualified immunity for police officers, which blocks them from facing legal repercussions in use of force incidents. It also imposes new restrictions on the use of deadly force and effectively bans chokeholds, like the one that a police officer used on George Floyd.

“It means a lot to have community leaders like Sandra Cunningham recognize my commitment to racial justice and reforming the way our police departments operate,” said Congressman Sires. “We all need to do more to address systemic racism in our country, and this bill will make significant strides in that area. The fight isn’t over, and I will be working to bring pressure to Mitch McConnell to post the House bill in the Senate and to President Trump to sign it into law.”

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