A state senate version of the bill would have removed qualified immunity for individual police officers, potentially exposing them to civil lawsuits. This provision was eliminated from the house version of the bill.
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are set to vote on a police reform bill that would make some of the biggest changes in years to law enforcement oversight and rules in the state.
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled against governmental immunity for an officer earlier this month, ending a case that began seven years ago when the officer attempted to stop individuals from drag racing on a local road.
The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday narrowly passed a bill to eliminate qualified immunity for police, a legal defense that often prevents officers from facing civil lawsuits, just days after rejecting the same bill.
On one major point of dissension between the parties, the Republican bill leaves intact the “qualified immunity” standard that Democrats want to erode, to make it easier for law enforcement officials to be sued for misconduct.
The Supreme Court passed up at least seven cases Monday that would have allowed it to reconsider aspects of qualified immunity for police.