Sen. Tim Scott reportedly rejected Democrats' 'bare minimum' final offer on police reform

(Image credit: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

published 22 September 2021

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that bipartisan negotiations for a police reform bill are over after Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) turned down a final offer from Booker and Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

"The goal from the very beginning was to get meaningful reforms that would end the policing problem we've had in this nation for generations," Booker said, adding that in the end "we couldn't do it."

One of the main sticking points was how dramatically the bill should alter qualified immunity, the practice that shields officers from lawsuits. However, other measures also became more challenging once language was introduced, with Democrats advocating for more sweeping changes and Scott's camp pushing a more incremental path, the Journal reports. Additionally, because protests against police brutality have died down compared to last summer and the nation's attention has somewhat moved away from the issue, there was reportedly less pressure to get something done.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

To continue reading this article...

Create a free account

Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.

Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.

Cancel or pause at any time.

Already a subscriber to The Week?

Unlimited website access is included with Digital and Print + Digital subscriptions.
with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.

Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox