Van Hollen, Booker Reintroduce Legislation to Form Commission for Study of Reparation Proposals for African Americans

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in introducing S.40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, legislation that would establish a commission to consider proposals for reparations for African American descendants of slavery. The legislation is the Senate companion to H.R. 40, introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas-18).

The Commission will study the impact of slavery and the continuing discrimination against African-Americans and will make recommendations on reparation proposals for the descendants of slaves.

The legislation is cosponsored in addition to Senator Van Hollen by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Over 190 organizations working to advance civil rights in America have endorsed the legislation. A list of those organizations can be found here.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

The House companion bill can be found here.