Maryland Gov. Wes Moore doubled down Tuesday on the need for action rather than research, in defending his recent veto of a bill to study reparations.
“I do not believe now is the time for another multiyear study on something that we already know,” Moore said during an announcement of a mixed-use development in North Bethesda.
Instead, Moore said, “I think that this is the time for action.”
He cited large investments made in the state’s historically Black colleges and universities, saying, “I’m really proud of the work that I’ve done … with the legislature.”
“We’ve done expungement reform, we’ve done procurement reform. I’ve signed the largest mass pardon in the history of the United States of America. This is an administration that believes in action,” he said.
Asked specifically if he would support using tax dollars to provide cash reparations, Moore said, “I’m really proud of the action this administration has already taken when it comes to addressing the long-standing challenges of racial discrimination that we’ve seen — not just in the state of Maryland — but across the nation.”
WTOP has contacted the offices of Maryland’s Senate president and House Speaker Adrienne Jones for comment.
The bill that Moore vetoed would have created a commission to study historic policies that “led to economic disparities based on race, including housing, segregation and discrimination, redlining and restrictive covenants.”
The bill would then have recommended “appropriate” reparations that could include statements of apology, monetary or other forms of compensation.
Maryland Sen. Anthony Muse, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, told WTOP that he would work with other lawmakers to attempt to override the bill in the General Assembly when the session returns in January.
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