Democrats take knee under Capitol dome before unveiling sweeping police reform proposal

House and Senate Democrats kneeled Monday inside Capitol Hill's Emancipation Hall in remembrance of George Floyd before announcing a sweeping police reform and oversight proposal. 

The group – including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – kneeled for 8 minutes and 46 seconds – the amount of time officials say a Minneapolis officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck May 25 during a fatal arrest.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, other congressional Democrats kneel in memory of George Floyd

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Pelosi said congressional Democrats are seeking “transformative, structural change” to policing in the country with their new legislation.

Floyd's death has since sparked protests across the country calling for police reform, particularly brutality toward black Americans.

Pelosi said “the martyrdom of George Floyd” influenced the Democrats to unveil the Justice in Policing Act.

“We cannot settle for anything less than transformative, structural change,” the California Democrat said at a press conference following the kneeling ceremony. “True justice can only be achieved with full comprehensive action — that’s what we are doing today. This is a first step. There is more to come.”

She explained that the bill would limit the transfer of military weapons to police departments, requiring the use of body cameras, ban racial profiling and make lynching a federal hate crime.

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) said the bill includes the establishment of a “national use-of-force standard.”

“We can reason away just about anything," she said. "The appropriate and fair question to ask is was it necessary.” 

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) announced at the press conference that his committee will hold a hearing next week on the "crisis of racial profiling" and police brutality. 

"I expect that what we learn during that hearing will only strengthen the case for this legislation which we hope to take up in the committee in the coming weeks," he said. 

Nadler said House Democrats are "inspired" by the protestors around the nation and "together we will take change laws because of you and we will make a difference."