Reparations Roundup: August 2024
Lawmakers across the country are proposing reparations to black Americans for slavery and America’s history of racial discrimination. Proposals have included direct cash payments, grants, formal apologies from the government, and government programs with race-based eligibility.
Because certain reparations proposals would inevitably advantage and disadvantage individuals based on their race and ancestry—in violation of the Constitution—PLF is tracking the development of these policies at state and local levels. See last month’s roundup here.
Here is what has happened this past month:
New York Starts the Clock
New York’s Reparations Commission met for the first time on July 30, starting its 12-month ticking clock to issue recommendations on reparations to black New Yorkers. Commissioners have been demure about recommendation specifics but will be considering the outcomes of other city- and state-level reparations initiatives.
Detroit Asks for Input
Detroit’s Reparations Task Force has released a survey to solicit public input intended to help finalize the Task Force’s recommendations. The final report was originally due in October 2024, but the deadline has been moved to early 2025.
Reparations in the Nation’s Capital
The Washington, DC, City Council approved $1.5 million in the City’s FY 2025 budget to fund a reparations task force which has not yet been authorized. The bill is still under Council review.
California’s state-wide reparations proposals
Earlier this year, the state’s Legislative Black Caucus introduced a number of bills intended to implement several recommendations of the California Reparations Task Force.
SB 1403 and SB 1331 made it through California’s Appropriations Committee and are set to join SB 1348 for hearings before the full Assembly in the coming weeks.
- SB 1403 – This bill would establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency to implement the recommendations of the Reparations Task Force and oversee other state agencies tasked with implementation.
- SB 1331 – This bill would establish the Fund for Reparations and Reparative Justice to fund state reparations policies.
- SB 1348 – This bill would designate colleges and universities as Black-Serving Institutions if they have black and African American students as 10 percent of the student body and offer certain programs.
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