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There hasn’t been much public discussion about a proposed Reparations Commission in the nearly three months since legislators overrode the governor’s veto of the original bill. But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been talk.
Lawmakers are scheduled to take up a bill this week that would take two commission appointments away from the governor and hand them over to legislative leaders, who would also gain the authority to name an additional five members to the commission between them. The bill would also add a representative from the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture to the panel.
Those changes are part of Senate Bill 476, sponsored by Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-Prince George’s), which is scheduled to be heard Thursday by the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee.
A representative from the governor’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment Friday on Muse’s bill.
Legislation creating a reparations commission passed last year after years of trying, but Gov. Wes Moore (D) — the nation’s only Black governor — surprised many when he chose to veto the legislation last spring. The governor said in his veto message in May that it was a “difficult decision” but that “now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”
The legislature overrode the governor’s veto in December to create a voluntary commission to assess specific federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965, the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, and to examine how public and private institutions may have benefited from policies that led to discrimination. The commission is also charged with recommending appropriate reparations, from a statement of apology to monetary compensation or social service assistance.
That bill called for a 23-member commission, with members from the public, industry, academia and various interest groups. Muse’s bill would expand that list to 28 members, adding the representative of the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture, whose Executive Director Chanel C. Johnson welcomed the change in a statement Friday.
“We are excited about what is to come. While we have not yet made a selection, we look forward to doing so in the near future,” Johnson said.
Muse’s bill would also take the governor’s ability to appoint two members of the general public, but would give Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) the authority to appoint two members of the general public each, or four total.
Ferguson and Peña-Melnyk would each appoint a “faith leader” to the commission under Muse’s bill, and would jointly have final say on a representative of the state NAACP, who would have been chosen by the state chapter president under the original bill. All told, Moore appointees on the board fall from eight to six under Muse’s bill, and the speaker’s and president’s appointees rise from four to nine.
One community leader Muse said mentioned as a possible nominee is the Rev. Robert Turner, pastor of Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore. Turner has hosted monthly walks for several years from Baltimore to the White House for reparations to be granted nationally. Turner posted on social media last month he completed his 40th walk, which he called “40 walks for 40 acres.”
Turner, who traveled to Annapolis last year to join Muse and Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County) in support of establishing the commission, was unavailable for comment Friday.
“People like Rev. Turner are why it’s important that we hold up our position and keep Black History at a forefront so that we never forget the damage that it’s done to our people and how they have been disenfranchised for so long,” Muse said Friday. “That needs to stay in front of us as a priority.”
McCaskill, who sponsored the House version of last year’s reparations bill — the Senate version ultimately passed — said the addition of a few more individuals will ensure more voices are heard.
Muse’s bill also pushes back the deadline for a preliminary report from the commission, from Jan. 1, 2027, to Sept. 30, 2028, and extends deadline for a final report from Nov. 1, 2027, to Dec. 1, 2028. McCaskill said the dates needed to be pushed back because “we’ve lost so much time” due to the governor’s veto.
One other provision would require the commission to “hold at least three public hearings and continuously solicit public input.”
McCaskill had some advice for those anxiously waiting for the commission to begin its work.
“It’s been a long time coming. Take deep breaths,” she said. “Hang in there with us because we have a lot of work to do.”
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