End Racial Profiling Act of 2017
Latest action. ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Ms. Jackson Lee asked unanimous consentDoing business by universal agreement instead of votes. Most Senate floor action happens this way, which is why a single objecting senator has real power.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) that she may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1498, a bill originally introduced by former Representative Conyers, for purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
End Racial Profiling Act of 2017
This bill prohibits racial profiling by a federal, state, local, or tribal law enforcement agency or agent. The term "racial profiling" includes the practice of relying on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identify, or sexual orientation in making a routine or spontaneous law enforcement decision.
The Department of Justice (DOJ), or an individual injured by racial profiling, may bring a civil action to enforce the prohibition.
The bill requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training on racial profiling issues, the collection of data, and procedures for handling complaints.
Additionally, a state or unit of local government that receives grant funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program or Community Oriented Policing Services program must maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training on racial profiling issues, the collection of data, and participation in an administrative complaint procedure or independent audit program. DOJ must withhold or reduce grant funds from a state or unit of local government that fails to comply.
The bill authorizes grants to develop and implement: (1) programs to collect data on the percentage of stops and searches in which a law enforcement officer finds drugs, a gun, or something else that leads to an arrest; and (2) best practice devices and systems to eliminate racial profiling.
DOJ must report annually on racial profiling by law enforcement agencies.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 10, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 8, 2018: ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Ms. Jackson Lee asked unanimous consent that she may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 1498, a bill originally introduced by former Representative Conyers, for purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JOHN CONYERS (D-MI) introduced it on March 10, 2017, and 81 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 81 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 10, 2017, 3471 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3108 days ago, on March 8, 2018.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIntroduced, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers