California lawmakers introduced a slate of reparations bills on Wednesday that include proposals to restore property taken by “race-based” cases of eminent domain and a measure that could change the state’s Constitution to allow state funding to be provided to “specific groups.”
This is the first time a bill package has been submitted to give Black Americans who have been harmed by centuries of racist policies and practices restitution, Politico, the first to share the news, reported.
However, the proposed measures don’t include any financial compensation to direct descendants of Black slaves, a polarizing measure that drew comments from lawmakers nationwide.
Still, there is a provision that could lead to some monetary relief. Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Los Angeles) proposed a bill dealing with “property takings.”
The bill would “restore property taken during raced-based uses of eminent domain to its original owners or provide another effective remedy where appropriate, such as restitution or compensation,” Politico reported.
Democratic Assemblymember Corey Jackson, representing a district north of San Diego, could ask voters to change California’s Constitution.
The change would allow the state to fund programs aimed at “increasing the life expectancy of, improving educational outcomes for, or lifting out of poverty specific groups based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, or marginalized genders, sexes, or sexual orientations.”
Other states like New York, Colorado and Massachusetts have commissioned reparations studies or task forces, similar to what California did in 2021.
In 2023, California’s Black Reparations task force submitted a 1,100-page report that details California’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black residents and details how to fix the issue.
Task force members urged supporters to press lawmakers into action on more than 100 recommendations, the Associated Press reported.
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