S. 4170: Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-07-02 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2020-07-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act

Plain summary

Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act This bill contains provisions related to federal investigations of state and local law enforcement activities, including an authorization of additional appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division for FY2020-FY2029. Certain DOJ-imposed limitations on civil settlement agreements between DOJ and a local or state entity shall have no effect. (Typically, such an agreement involves the entity agreeing to take certain actions, such as a law enforcement agency agreeing to require certain officer training or stop certain policing practices. In November 2018, DOJ announced that it would adopt certain procedures and requirements to limit such agreements, such as requiring approval by a senior DOJ official if an agreement would create long-term structural obligations for the entity.) A certain portion of the increased funding for the Civil Rights Division authorized by the bill shall be available for investigations into law enforcement agencies or related entities that engage in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of their civil rights. The bill also authorizes a state attorney general's office to file a lawsuit under federal law against a law enforcement agency or related entity that engages in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of their civil rights, where currently only DOJ has such authority. DOJ may provide grants to state and tribal governments to investigate and pursue such cases.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] · 12 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] reported raising $5.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s4170.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s4170 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116