New York City is reportedly voting on a bill that would criminalize the NYPD's use of chokeholds during an arrest, as protests for George Floyd rage on

• The New York City Council, the city's legislative body, will soon vote on legislation that would criminalize the use of a chokehold by NYPD officers during an arrest, NY1 reported.
• Sources told the network that City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will hold a vote on the proposal at the next council meeting.
• The chokehold law, which was first introduced in 2014, seeks to make the use of a chokehold during an arrest a misdemeanor offense.
• Mayor Bill de Blasio has previously promised that he would veto the bill.
• But when de Blasio was asked about the bill on Sunday, in the wake of protests over George Floyd's death, he said he would be "ready to support" it if it addressed circumstances where officers face a "life or death situation."

The New York City Council will soon vote on two pieces of legislation that would criminalize the use of chokeholds by NYPD officers and require the police department to codify a system to discipline its officers.

Sources told NY1 that City Council Speaker Corey Johnson will hold a vote on the two proposals at the next council meeting, which is scheduled to take place on June 18, according to the council calendar. An agenda for the meeting has not yet been made publicly available.

The chokehold law was first introduced by Councilman Rory Lancman in 2014. The bill seeks to amend the New York City administrative code and would make an officer's use of a chokehold during an arrest a misdemeanor offense.

As it stands, the use of a chokehold during an arrest is banned under New York City police policy. However, a 2015 investigation by New York City's police inspector general found that there have been several cases where officers have used a chokehold and faced "little to no punishment by the Police Department," according to The New York Times.

The proposal was created in response to the 2014 killing of Eric Garner, a black man from Staten Island, who died after being placed in a chokehold by plainclothes NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo. Video of Garner's death sparked Black Lives Matter demonstrations across the country.

Garner's case has drawn parallels to the death of George Floyd, a black man who was knelt on by a police officer for several minutes and later died.

Floyd's death last week was also captured on video and has prompted escalating clashes between protesters and police. In both Garner's and Floyd's cases, both men told officers that they "can't breathe" during the encounters.

In order for the chokehold bill to be turned into law, it must be passed by an affirmative vote by a majority of 26 council members. It is then sent to the mayor for approval.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has previously promised that he would veto the bill should it reach his desk.

In 2015, de Blasio's Phil Walzak told The New York Times that "the mayor would veto the chokehold bill as it is currently drafted."

But when de Blasio was asked about the bill during a Sunday press conference, in the wake of protests over Floyd's death, he said he would be "ready to support" the bill as long as it addressed circumstances where police officers face a "life or death situation."

"What I've said in the past is there has to be a recognition of the problem of an officer in a life and death situation," he said. "So long as that issue is addressed, I could sign a bill if it's a fair bill that codifies what we already say."

"Chokeholds are prohibited, period," he continued. "We've got to recognize when it's a situation that is absolutely abhorrent and it does happen from time to time where an officer is fighting in a life and death struggle."

De Blasio stated that "action" would be taken in relation to the bill "in the month of June and beyond."

Black Lives Matter protests escalated in New York City over the weekend. On Saturday, an NYPD cruiser rammed into a crowd of protesters, and on Sunday, protesters appeared to set fire outside the Strand bookstore near Union Square.

NYPD sources confirmed to Insider that de Blasio's daughter Chiara was arrested on Saturday night during one of the protests. A NYPD union had also tweeted confidential information about her arrest, garnering widespread criticism.

Speaking to NY1 on Saturday night, de Blasio said a "small number" of people were "clearly trying to incite violence against the police, and create property damage and vandalism."