The Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act would create a national standard on the use of excessive force. The legislation would define chokeholds as “the application of any pressure to the throat or windpipe, use of maneuvers that restrict blood or oxygen flow to the brain, or carotid artery restraints which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air,” and would classify them as a “punishment, pain, or penalty.” 

The Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act has been endorsed by leading civil rights groups including by the National Action Network, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund.

Eric Garner's Life Matters! #NoExcessiveForce

This bill modifies the criminal civil rights statute that prohibits deprivation of rights under color of law to include specific language about excessive force, specifying that the application of any pressure to the throat or windpipe, the use of maneuvers that restrict blood or oxygen flow to the brain, or the use of carotid artery restraints which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air is a deprivation of a right, privilege, or immunity and is a punishment, pain, or penalty.

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