ANNAPOLIS, Md. — In the full final week of the 2025 legislative session, Maryland lawmakers passed a bill creating a Reparations Commission.
The effort was spearheaded by members of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, including sponsoring State Senators C. Anthony Muse, Malcolm Augustine, Benjamin Brooks, and Mary Washington.
It's now up to Governor Wes Moore to sign the bill before it can officially go into effect July 1.
The commission would be unpaid and made up of several individuals including lawmakers, HBCU representatives, and state agency heads.
Their job would be to study and recommend "appropriate benefits to be made to individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in the State or were impacted by certain inequitable government policies."
“Inequitable government policies means federal, State, or local government policies during the periods commonly known as the post–Reconstruction era and the Jim Crow era, 1877 through 1965, that have led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies," the proposed bill reads.
The commission would be tasked with submitting a preliminary report by January 1, 2027, and a final report by November 1, 2027.
Some of the reparations to be considered include statements of apology, financial compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, licensing and permit fee waivers, home down payment assistance, business incentives, child care costs, debt forgiveness, and college tuition.
While the bill doesn't specify who would pay for reparations, or how, it mentions "private businesses and organizations in the State that have benefited from the institution of slavery or inequitable government policies," as potential funding sources.
As for immediate costs, lawmakers estimate hiring one contractual staffer to handle the commission's work at an annual salary of around $54,500 through the end of fiscal year 2028.
Lawmakers say similar commissions were created in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.
Here in Maryland, there have been a couple attempts to convene reparations committees.
In November Baltimore City residents voted in favor of Question G, creating a community reinvestment and reparations fund, stemming from 2022 Cannabis Reform legislation.
Back in 2021 voters in Greenbelt approved a 21-person commission to discuss local reparations for African American and Native American residents.
