McConnell announces Senate plan to consider police reform legislation next week

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) announced that the Senate will consider legislation next week to reform police practices in the United States. 

The announcement follows an address given yesterday by President Trump about his vision for reforming police practices in the United States, which included banning the use of chokeholds unless the officer's life is in danger, and providing more funding for police training. 

Soon the Senate will take a procedural vote on Tim Scott's (R-South Carolina) bill, though it is unclear if Democrats will cooperate with the Republican majority to meet the 60-vote threshold. Democrats have prematurely criticized Scott's plan as a diluted version of their own House bill, though most have not yet seen the text of the measure. The House Democrats' bill is expected to advance through the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday afternoon.

Senate Republicans had originally planned to address the police reform question in July, but pressure has been mounting from lawmakers in both parties and the White House for the Senate to address criminal justice reform in the aftermath of a series of police killings of African-Americans leading up to a national wave of protests and riots.