Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act
Latest action · Jan 9, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 9, 2025
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act
This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.
The commission must (1) compile documentary evidence of slavery in the United States; (2) study the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery; (3) analyze discriminatory laws and policies against formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants; and (4) recommend ways the United States may recognize and remedy the effects of slavery and discrimination on African Americans, including through a formal apology and compensation (i.e., reparations).
The commission consists of individuals from civil society and reparations organizations and individuals appointed by the President and congressional leadership. The commission may hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and records, and contract with other entities to conduct its work.
The commission must submit its final report within one year of its first meeting.
Cosponsors 20
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 9, 2025 to Jun 18, 2026; 17 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Adam B. Schiff | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-NJ | Andy Kim | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-GA | Raphael G. Warnock | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Jan 9, 2025 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jan 9, 2025 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 9, 2025Introduced in Senate
- Jan 9, 2025Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues.
- Advisory bodies
- Civics education
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Constitution and constitutional amendments
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Human rights
- Racial and ethnic relations
- State and local government operations
- U.S. history
- War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 9, 2025Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
