The Biden Administration

Biden Plans Executive Action on Police Reform to Revive Stalled Issue

The president is planning to sign the executive actions as early as this month, three people familiar with the plans told NBC News

Mark Makela

President Joe Biden is planning to sign executive actions on police reform as early as this month, three people familiar with the plans said, as his administration seeks to unilaterally jumpstart an issue that’s a top priority for a key constituency.

The executive actions would follow Biden’s uphill battle to advance voting rights legislation, and could coincide with a similar effort by some Democratic lawmakers to revive the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which stalled on Capitol Hill after failed attempts to craft a bipartisan measure.

The focus on police reforms is part of what appears to be a last-ditch effort by the Biden administration to take action on some of the president's signature initiatives in the run-up to his State of the Union Address on March 1. 

The executive actions on policing are still being finalized, according to the people familiar with the plans. They did not know how the actions would differ from steps taken by the Justice Department last year when it imposed new restrictions on chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants. Two people familiar with the discussions said the White House could roll out the executive actions to mark the beginning of Black History Month in February.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com.

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