[7] The drafting of the legislation was preceded by a series of protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota and other high-profile killings of African Americans at the hands of mostly white police officers and civilians in 2020, such as the shooting of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.

[4][8] The proposed legislation contains some provisions that civil rights advocates have long sought,[4] and is named in Floyd's honor.

[19][21] At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 16, members heard testimony from a number of witnesses, including Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; attorney S. Lee Merritt, who represents the family of Ahmaud Arbery; St. Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter; Houston Police Department chief Art Acevedo; and Fraternal Order of Police national president Patrick Yoes.

[25][26][27] The legislation's key sponsors sought to garner support for the bill from moderate Republicans,[10] but ultimately, only three House Republicans (all moderates) joined all House Democrats in voting to pass the bill: Representatives Fred Upton of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Will Hurd of Texas.

[28][29] Republican senators led by Tim Scott proposed alternative police legislation that was far narrower than the House bill favored by Democrats.

[28] Democrats called upon Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to enter "bipartisan talks to get to a constructive starting point.

[36][a] The legislation did not advance in the Senate, bipartisan negotiations took place between Bass, Scott, and Booker, but collapsed by September 2021.

[41] The American Civil Liberties Union praised the legislation for taking "significant steps to protect people and ensure accountability against police violence" but expressed opposition to providing "hundreds of millions more to law enforcement" and called for more sweeping changes to "the role of police in our society fundamentally.

[26] Police organizations are influential in Congress, exerting influence through campaign contributions, endorsements, and lobbying and advocacy efforts, and historically have been successful in stymieing reform legislation.