Equality

Rep. Don Beyer today hailed the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by the House of Representatives. The bill, which passed this evening, is one of the most ambitious federal reforms of law enforcement powers in history. “The George Floyd Justice In Policing Act is a step towards justice and accountability. We cannot bring George Floyd or Breonna Taylor or Eric Garner or… Read more »

As the world knows by now, one of the officers who arrested George Floyd kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds—killing him and any chance he had of proving his innocence. Not only did this one incident of police misconduct cost Floyd his life—an inhumane and incalculable cost—it will likely cost taxpayers where he lived millions of dollars. Yet cities and counties are not… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, a bill enshrining nationwide civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans:  “Today the House passed comprehensive civil rights protections for LGBTQ people. No one should be denied equal protection under the law because of the person they love or their gender… Read more »

Today, Rep. Don Beyer joined Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) in reintroducing the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act. This bill, cosponsored by 137 House members and led in the Senate by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), strengthens the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restores the separation of powers by… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today after newly-appointed U.S. Park Police (USPP) Chief Pamela Smith announced that the U.S. Park Police would prioritize “implementing a body-worn camera program within [her] first 90 days:” “I want to welcome Chief Smith, and thank her for announcing that the U.S. Park Police will finally adopt body-warn cameras. This long overdue… Read more »

This month is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate all that Black Americans have done to make our country a more perfect union. It is also a time when we reflect on the progress Black Americans have made—despite the scourge of systemic racism—and the challenges they continue to face. Economic inequality is but one of these challenges—one that the coronavirus pandemic has thrown… Read more »

Today, Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) announced the formation of the Egypt Human Rights Caucus to mark the 10th anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. “The Egyptian people’s hopes for self-determination, freedom, and social justice inspired the world in 2011. Unprecedented repression and grave human rights violations have not extinguished those hopes,” Rep. Beyer said.… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on the announcement that a Virginia commission had selected Barbara Johns as the subject of a statue to replace Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the National Statuary Hall Collection of the U.S. Capitol: “Barbara Johns was a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement who helped desegregate schools in Virginia and across the… Read more »

A new bill would make all police misconduct allegations and settlements public By Sean Collins  Dec 15, 2020, 5:10pm EST First published at Vox State, local, and federal governments have spent billions of dollars over the past decade settling police misconduct cases, which include everything from deadly shootings to neglect. For example, the… Read more »

Rep. Don Beyer today introduced federal legislation to remove the designation of Arlington House as a memorial to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The legislation, which was partially inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House, was cosponsored by Virginia Representatives Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton, and by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor… Read more »