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.”
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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.