Washington — Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, is among a dozen moderate U.S. House lawmakers who are working on bipartisan police reform bill "that moves the ball forward," he said Tuesday.
Upton's comments came during the seventh day of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who is charged with murder and manslaughter after George Floyd died last May after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes while he said he couldn't breathe. The video of Floyd's final moments sparked nationwide protests against police brutality that continued throughout the summer.
The group, around a quarter of the House "Problem Solvers" Caucus, has spent 10-12 hours over the last few weeks "listening to experts around the country, trying to find the right spot so that we really get police reform in a place that most of America will accept," Upton said.