Latest news with #MarylandReparationsCommission
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland legislators say they will override governor's veto, reinstate Reparations Commission bill
Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed 181 bills into law Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The bills he vetoed included one creating a Reparations Commission. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters) Gov. Wes Moore's veto of the Maryland Reparations Commission bill came as a shock to lawmakers, but they are confident they can override the veto, making it little more than a temporary setback for the initiative. 'We're not done in getting this bill into a law. That is the ultimately goal, no matter what hurdles are in front of us,' said Delegate Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a House version of the measure and helped pass Senate Bill 587, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's). For advocates around the country, however, the shock is still being felt. They worry what the bill's troubles in Maryland — a state with a Black governor, a Black attorney general, a Black House Speaker, a Democratic super-majority and a powerful Legislative Black Caucus — portend for their states. 'Gov. Moore needs to realize that he's not only impacting Maryland, but he's impacting South Carolina and many other states with the veto,' said South Carolina state Rep. John King, a Democrat from Rock Hill. The Maryland bill called for the creation of a commission that would assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, that 'led to economic disparities based on race, including housing, segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The all-volunteer commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies, and would then recommend appropriate reparations, which could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives or child care costs. Unlike previous years, when reparations bills had price tags of $1 million or more, the bill passed this year drew heavily on volunteers and existing resources. It was expected to cost $54,500 in its first year. In his veto letter, Moore praised the work and the intentions of those behind the bill, but said 'now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.' He cited a number of studies over the past 25 years on the legacy of slavery and promised that his legislative agenda next year would include a package of proposals to 'address the barriers that have walled off Black families in Maryland from work, wages and wealth for generations.' Those justifications appeared to be lost on many advocates, however, who called the veto everything from shocking to a betrayal. There is no similar effort in South Carolina. But King expressed his disappointment on his Facebook page Monday, when he called on the South Carolina Democratic Party to rescind an invitation to Moore, who is scheduled to be the featured speaker at the party's annual Blue Palmetto Dinner on May 30. Tickets start at $150 for the party's largest fundraiser of the year, which has featured potential presidential candidates in the past. That includes U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who headlined last year's dinner with Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia. In 2019, King was the first South Carolina legislator to endorse Booker for president. (Booker dropped out of the presidential field in January 2020, a month ahead of South Carolina's then-first-in-the-South primary.) While Moore has said he's not running for president, his speech in South Carolina can be seen as a 2028 audition of sorts. On May 31, the day after Moore's address, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at Democrats' convention in the state that last year held the party's first presidential primary. 'I will still support [the] governor, if he decided to run for president,' said King, who spent summers in Maryland where his mother grew up in the Baltimore area. But in light of the reparations veto, 'I don't think the timing is right for him to come to South Carolina,' he said in an interview Tuesday. South Carolina Democratic Party officials did not respond to requests for comment. But as recently as Wednesday, the party sent out emails urging people to buy tickets for the dinner and the chance to 'hear from Maryland Governor Wes Moore.' 'Tickets will sell out,' the email said. King's colleague, Rep. Annie McDaniel, a Democrat from Fairfield County, said she also disagrees with Moore's veto. 'I'm not saying whether the governor's right or wrong. I'm just saying that the way he chose to handle this is not good,' McDaniel said in an interview Tuesday with Maryland Matters. 'It's not good for the plight that African Americans are on now in this state.' But McDaniel, who chairs the state's Legislative Black Caucus, also said Moore should attend the Blue Palmetto Dinner and explain himself. She said she would also like to see an invitation extended to Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), the chair of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. 'I think that would be an awesome opportunity,' McDaniel said. 'I don't want the conversation to be one-sided. I believe in fairness. I just think that having her [Wilkins] in the room and having him [Moore] in the room at the same time will give us an opportunity to hear both sides.' Wilkins declined to comment. A spokesperson for the governor's office also declined to comment. Moore's veto Friday was announced hours after he spoke at commencement for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities, and the day before an unrelated reparations rally in Washington, D.C. Moore to veto reparations bill, one of a list of measures he will reject The governor's decision has sparked some conversation on online broadcasts and among civil rights organizations. David Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective, called the governor's decision in a statement Tuesday 'a betrayal of generational efforts to pursue truth, healing, and repair.' 'As the first Black governor of Maryland, Gov. Moore had an opportunity to lead with moral clarity, political courage, and historical awareness,' Johns said in a statement Tuesday. 'Instead, his decision represents a dangerous step backward in the long and necessary march toward racial justice.' Outside the State House on Tuesday, as the governor was inside for the last bill-signing of the year, a small group of protesters stood on Lawyers Mall, holding signs and chanting: 'What do we want? Reparations! When do we want it? Now!' The rally was led by Malik Shabazz, an attorney representing Black Lawyers for Justice, who said the legislature should override Moore's veto. 'Clearly, the governor's not for reparations,' Shabazz said to reporters. 'And clearly, he's looking to cut off a study and calculation of an assessment of the damages of what has been done to the people and the constituents of his own state, and that's unacceptable.' But Linda Lee Tarver, with the Black conservative organization Project 21, said Wednesday that reparations aren't the answer to help Black communities. Tarver, who runs a political consulting business in Lansing, Michigan, agreed with Moore's veto message that studies have been, and continue to be, done by other organizations. She referenced her own group's policy recommendations, which include election integrity, reducing 'harmful 'environmental justice' agenda,' making health care more market oriented and protecting science, technology, engineering and math instruction 'from the poison of 'equity' activists.' She said she was surprised at the apparent disconnect between Moore and the Legislative Black Caucus, which had endorsed the reparations bill. 'I believe that Gov. Wes Moore got caught in pretending to care for reparations, and then his pen was required, and he punted,' Tarver said. 'It's shameful. Just say up front you don't believe in it.' Disconnect or not, McCaskill said the debate is healthy — and the debate will continue as the commission moves forward, as she believes it will. 'I am excited to hear that it's on folks' minds, in opposition or proponents for it,' she said. 'This commission is important to hear from all Marylanders because it will eventually affect every Marylander.' SC Daily Gazette Editor Seanna Adcox contributed to this report. Like the SC Daily Gazette, Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland's first Black governor blocks reparations bill, disappointing fellow Democrats
The nation's only sitting Black governor vetoed reparations legislation, dealing a blow to fellow Democrats and emphasizing his preference to "focus on the work itself" rather than form commissions. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore vetoed SB 587, legislation sponsored by state Sen. C. Anthony Muse, D-Forest Heights, that would have established the Maryland Reparations Commission. The commission would have been tasked with providing recommendations by 2027 "relating to appropriate benefits to be offered to African Americans impacted by slavery and historic inequality." Moore, however, did not issue his veto in any sort of opposition to the overall idea. Dem Gov Says Md, With $3B Deficit, Has Been Doing Doge 'Before Anyone Knew What It Was' "I applaud the legislature's work on this bill, and I thank the Black Caucus for their leadership," Moore said in his veto message. Read On The Fox News App "We have moved in partnership with leaders across the state to uplift Black families and address racial disparities in our communities. That is the context in which I've made this difficult decision." Moore took issue with the potential for more bureaucracy that the resolution would bear. "[N]ow is not the time for another study," he said, citing other recent commissions established, including the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. "Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve." Md Gov Defends $190K Trump-centric Irish Consultant Contract As Potus Moves In Next Door Seen as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful, Moore said he will always defend the history of African Americans in Maryland and focus on narrowing the "racial wealth gap," increasing minority homeownership and "closing foundational disparities." Maryland itself has a mixed history when it comes to slavery, the Civil War and the treatment of African Americans. The state hosts the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, connecting important towns and sites on the Eastern Shore and into Delaware, where Tubman, her aligned families and groups aided runaway slaves on their way to the relative safety of the North. Its position as an often South-friendly state just north of Washington, D.C., also complicated its position during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth, the actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, hailed from Bel Air, and his escape from Washington after the assassination led him through Confederate-friendly southern Maryland before crossing the Potomac into Virginia. Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who abetted Booth and his colleagues after Lincoln's murder, housed them at his property near Leonardtown. Booth felt uncomfortable enough, however, in postwar Maryland that he fled to Virginia -- where he was eventually surrounded and killed by U.S. Marshals at a barn whose foundation now sits unmarked in the middle of the U.S. 301 parkway through Fort A.P. Hill's grounds. Maryland's legislative Black Caucus also released a statement Friday expressing their disappointment with Moore's veto. "At a time when the White House and Congress are actively targeting Black communities, dismantling diversity initiatives, and using harmful coded language, Governor Moore had a chance to show the country and the world that here in Maryland we boldly and courageously recognize our painful history and the urgent need to address it." "Instead, the state's first Black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement." The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Maryland's first Black governor blocks reparations bill, disappointing fellow Democrats
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rally to support reparations commission scheduled in Annapolis
Gov. Wes Moore signed more than 190 bills into law during a ceremony Tuesday at the State House. (Photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters.) While Gov. Wes Moore (D) continues to be noncommittal on whether he'll sign a Maryland Reparations Commission bill into law, a group of supporters plan to rally Friday in Annapolis to show their support for the measure. 'I would not tell the governor of Maryland what he should or should not do. All the rally is about is showing why people care about the issue,' said Prince George's County Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D), who's organizing the rally at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis. When asked if Moore — the only sitting Black governor in the nation — plans to sign the bill, a spokesperson Wednesday pointed to a statement from last month that the governor will work with 'all partners involved to ensure that we are passing legislation that will make Maryland safer, more affordable, more competitive.' Moore could sign the bill, let it go into law without his signature or, potentially, veto it. There are two more bill signing ceremonies scheduled, on May 13 and May 20. Fisher said there are a number of misconceptions about the bill, approved last month in the waning days of the 2025 legislative session. 'When you talk to people about the concept of reparations, everyone has 50 million ideas,' she said. 'A commission's important because you bring in different facets of the community together to say, 'Hey, this is what we kind of think that would work.' Nothing is going to be perfect. But it does allow you to have a meeting of the minds.' Fisher is a former state delegate who sponsored legislation to establish a reparations commission in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Hearings were held, but none of those bills ever made it out of a committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Fiscal notes with those bills said 'total expenditures would likely exceed $1 million,' for hiring at least five staff members and issuing any money to 'individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in the State.' But the fiscal note for this year's reparations bill, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's), is a much more modest $54,500 to hire one contractual archivist to help produce reports and conduct research. Muse and Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), who sponsored a companion House version this year that did not advance out of committee, have stressed that this year's bill is strictly a study. The bill notes commission would assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. Those years 'have led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The all-volunteer commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies, and would recommend appropriate reparations, which could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives or child care costs. The bill calls for a commission of nearly two dozen people, including two employees from the state's four historically Black colleges and universities with expertise in the history of slavery; a representative from the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce; and the state archivist or a designee from that office. Another eight people appointed by the governor could include members such as a mental health expert, an attorney with expertise in civil rights or constitutional law, and two members of the general public. The committee would have to deliver a preliminary report of recommendations by Jan. 1, 2027, to explain any findings, and a final report by Nov. 1 of that year. Maryland joins a handful of states including California, Illinois, New York and Colorado that have approved legislation to study reparations. But advocates say Maryland should be a leader in the effort. 'If the governor were to veto it, it would be pretty devastating to the reparation's movement in general that has fought for years to put the issue on the table,' said Dayvon Love, public policy director for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle of Baltimore, who plans to speak at Friday's rally. 'It's important for a state with the largest Black caucus. It has a Black governor. That has a political environment that would be favorable to that kind of policy to demonstrate that it can be done,' he said. 'Maryland is poised to be a leader on that front.'
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House grants preliminary approval to reparations study measure
Del. Mark N. Fisher (R-Calvert) speaking on the House floor on his failed reparations amendment Tuesday. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.) The House granted preliminary approval Tuesday to a bill that would create a Maryland Reparations Commission, putting Maryland a step closer to becoming one of the few states to study inequality faced by African descendants in the state. But the House first had to beat back two amendments to Senate Bill 587, including one on school choice that sparked heated back-and-forth after its sponsor said Black children's problems today are the result of the 'modern Democrat plantation of public education.' Del. Mark Fisher (R-Calvert) offered the amendment that sought to provide school choice for students enrolled in one-star schools, the lowest rating on the state Department of Education's five-star rating system in its annual report card for schools. Under his proposal, the parent or guardian of a child in such a school could choose a public or nonpublic school to send the child, with state and local per pupil funding used to let the student attend the chosen school. Fisher, who emphasized he grew up in Baltimore City, said that while some members of the city's delegation were 'laughing' at his proposal, the amendment made sense because the majority of children 'stuck' in one-star schools are Black. 'That's on you. That's not from slavery. Instead, that's from the modern Democrat plantation of public education where kids aren't learning in one-star schools,' Fisher said on the floor. 'You, the Democrat Party, have kept kids on the plantation of not learning. Laugh as you may. You own it because you're in charge.' Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George's and Anne Arundel) gave a short history lesson in reponse, as well as a summary of the bill. She read a part of the bill that allows the commission to assess 'any other topic deemed appropriate.' According to the bill, the commission would assess federal, state and local policies between 1877 and 1965, informally known as the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. Those years 'have led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies. 'This bill is needed because of the history of slavery in Maryland and the role that our state that we live in played,' said Peña-Melnyk, chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee that reviewed and advanced the bill Friday. After Fisher pleaded with his colleagues 'to vote for your conscience' and accept the amendment, the House rejected his proposal 99-37. The chamber also rejected an amendment from Del. Ryan Nawrocki (R-Baltimore County), who sought to add individuals or ancestors who 'were Union soldiers or otherwise fought to end slavery.' 'It would include those individuals into this conversation about reparations for the significant work that they did, frankly, to correct a wrong here in this county,' he said. Peña-Melnyk said she received Nawrocki's amendment 'right now at this moment, which is no courtesy. Does not allow one to prepare adequately. If you come to HGO [the committee], I give you respect. I expect the same.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX As for the amendment, she said Black soldiers faced economic, housing and other forms of discrimination compared to white soldiers. She said Black soldiers faced discrimination when they returned home from war. 'The Black soldiers couldn't get those loans. They could not start a business,' Peña-Melnyk said. 'We're talking about restricted covenants that did not apply to white people. It applied to Black people.' The House voted 100-34 against Nawrocki's amendment. The Senate passed the bill, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's), earlier this month. Final approval must come before the last day of the legislative session on Monday.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Despite national mood, Maryland lawmakers hopeful for reparations committee bill this year
Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's) testifies Thursday on a bill he's sponsoring to create a Maryland Reparations Commission. Muse spoke before the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters) Despite the mood in Washington, supporters think this may finally be the year for passage of a bill to create a Maryland Reparations Commission to study the inequality African descendants faced in the state. Optimism over the bill, which has failed for several years running, comes as President Donald Trump's administration has mounted a full-scale assault on race-based programming and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives. But advocates said their hope is not based so much on Trump's antagonism as it is on the fact that the measure's time has just come. 'We do events all across the state, and one of the themes has always come back from Black Marylanders that it's past time for Maryland to address the issue of reparations,' said Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery) during a Thursday briefing on the bill. 'The bill creates a commission to study various proposals on how we address the harms of enslavement.' Wilkins is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, which she said is endorsing the bill for the first time this year. Along with that newfound support, the bill has been scaled back from previous versions, and subsequently comes with a much smaller price tag. Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George's) and Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County) are lead sponsors of Senate Bill 587 and House Bill 1422, respectively. McCaskill said when a statewide reparations commission proposal came up several years ago, a fiscal note estimated the cost to create one at more than $1 million. The fiscal note for her bill and Muse's, however, estimates that the only new expenditures for fiscal 2026 would be $54,500 to hire one contractual archivist to help produce reports and conduct research. In addition, Morgan State University in Baltimore will be used as a resource to assist with additional research. A key phrase in the fiscal note: 'Expense reimbursements for commission members are assumed to be minimal and absorbable within existing budgeted resources.' McCaskill and others stressed that the bill will not focus strictly on financial payments to individuals. Recommendations from the commission could include help for underserved communities with affordable housing, access to public transportation and jobs. 'Some folks say, why now? Well, really, it should have been yesterday,' said McCaskill, who testified on her bill to the House Health and Government Operations Committee on Tuesday. 'The movement has to be now because it's long overdue.' Three states have passed legislation to create a commission to study reparations: California in 2020, Illinois in 2021 and New York in 2023. Several cities nationwide have also established reparations commissions, including Greenbelt in Prince George's County, among others. Voters there approved a referendum in November 2021 that called for the City Council to establish a 21-member commission to review and make recommendations for local reparations for African Americans and Native Americans in the city. 'These initiatives demonstrate a growing recognition of the need to address historical injustices through structured, research-driven approaches,' Muse said Thursday, as he testified on his bill before the Senate Education, Energy, and Environment Committee. 'By investing in justice, this will foster economic growth, stronger communities and a more inclusive Maryland.' Both measures would focus on 'individuals impacted by historical inequality,' which means those whose ancestors were enslaved in the state or 'impacted by inequitable government policies.' Amid national push against DEI programs, Jones leads push to maintain it in Maryland The specific policies would be from the federal, state or local between 1877 to 1965, informally known as the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. The bills say those years 'have led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.' The commission would also examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from those policies. Reparations could include statements of apology, monetary compensation, social service assistance, business incentives and child care costs, the bills said. The all-volunteer commission would consist of nearly two dozen people to include two members each from the Senate and House (with one Black caucus member from each chambe); two employees from one of the state's four historically Black colleges and universities with expertise in the history of slavery; the state comptroller or a designee; a Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce representative; and a representative from the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Eight members of the reparations commission would be appointed by the governor, including two people from the general public, a mental health expert and a representative of an African American financial institution. The commission would be tasked with submitting a preliminary report by Jan. 1, 2027, and a final report by Nov. 1 of that year. Nicole Bruno of Prince George's County said 'white allies' such as herself might not benefit directly from any form or reparations, but she still supports the measures. 'Acknowledging and repairing historical injustice is not the responsibility of Black communities,' she said Thursday in testimony before the Senate committee. 'It requires collective action and support from those in positions of power. Diversity, equity and inclusion are the strengths of our country's legacy, not its burden, and we have our responsibility towards that legacy.' No one spoke in opposition to the reparations measure Thursday, but a Maryland resident did submit written testimony against it. 'So now we are going to discriminate against all non-Black people and their businesses, because of an ugly time in our country's history that happened generations ago and that has nothing to do with current reality,' wrote Trudy Tibbals. 'No one can go back and change what happened, no matter how badly one wants to.' But the Rev. Robert Turner, pastor of Empowerment Temple A.M.E. Church in Baltimore, said that 'because Trump is in office, we need to make sure Maryland does right by citizens, because we can't depend on the White House to do anything for Maryland, especially black Marylanders.' 'Our issues don't give us the luxury of waiting 'til we have somebody sympathetic to our issues. We have to fight while we fight and pray that we win while we fight,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
