Lawmakers this session passed legislation that would establish a commission to look into potential reparations for slavery in New York. Now, the bill’s sponsors are pushing for the governor to sign it and taking their message across the state.
Sen. James Sanders, Jr., a Queens Democrat who sponsored the legislation, told Capital Tonight they want to “take this to every nook and cranny that our great state has,” and “meet people where they are” as they push for the bill.
The legislation would establish a commission of nine people with three each selected by the governor, Assembly and Senate. The nine-member commission would be required to meet six months after being chosen with a report due one year later.
California’s reparations commission put forward a plan that recommends $500 billion in payments. In comparison, New York state’s budget amounts to over $200 billion.
On this issue, Sanders says, “while we appreciate other states, we lead in our own right,” adding, “we’re looking for things that are substantial, but we are not really interested in breaking the bank.”
One goal of the commission is to educate the public on the issue, which Sanders said may close a racial divide on reparations. According to statistics from the Pew Research Center, just 18% of white Americans support reparations compared to the 77% of Black Americans.
A public forum was recently held in Harlem with plans for more in Ithaca and Rochester.
“We want to take it to every audience that they can,” Sanders said.
The bill has not yet been delivered to the governor. Once it arrives, the governor will have 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or veto the measure. If the governor does not act on the legislation in the allotted 10 days, the measure is vetoed through a mechanism known as a “pocket veto.”