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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 15, 2023 10:52 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Stephen Kinsey and Rep. Jason Dawkins, Rep. Greg Scott |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Banning Chokeholds and Positional Asphyxia by Law Enforcement |
| In 2020, we saw protests erupt around the United States and the Commonwealth over the filmed death of an African American man, Mr. George Floyd, in Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd died due to asphyxiation brought about by sustained pressure on the neck by law enforcement officers. This case brings up memories of another African American man, Mr. Eric Garner, who also died after law enforcement’s misuse of the chokehold. We cannot sit idly by and allow innocent lives to be lost due to the reckless use of an unsafe and inhumane practice. For this reason, we will be introducing legislation to outlaw the use of the standard chokehold in making an arrest as well as any action that inhibits breath or the flow of blood to the brain due to physical position. As we all saw clearly in the case of Mr. Floyd, Mr. Garner, and others, chokeholds are not a safe or appropriate tool for law enforcement in the course of their daily duties. We hope you will join us in co-sponsoring this legislation to ensure justice is carried out in a decent and humane manner. |
Introduced as HB462