The first-of-its-kind task force on reparations in California has voted to approve recommendations on how the state can compensate and apologize to Black Americans for the historic wrongs of slavery.
The committee approved several proposals for reparations legislation after two years of deliberation
These recommendations include creating a new agency that would provide services to descendants of enslaved people and tailored calculations of what the state owes residents for issues such as housing discrimination and police brutality.
The task force also suggested that the state should issue a public apology acknowledging its responsibility for past wrongs and promise not to repeat them. However, the report does not mention a final price tag for the reparations.
Economists estimate that the total cost could exceed $800 billion, though the report includes projections and suggestions on who would qualify for payments.
The panel members considered several options such as housing grants and tuition reimbursement, but they ultimately decided on recommending direct payments
The task force will have one more meeting on June 29 to hand over the final report to the state legislature. The recommendations will have to be passed by California’s Democrat-controlled legislature and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
While the latest proposals don’t contain an overall price tag, they outline ways California could calculate how much money Black residents have lost due to discrimination since the state’s establishment in 1850. A Black person who has lived in California for their whole life until at least age 71 could potentially receive more than $1.2 million in lifetime restitution. However, it remains unclear how California will afford to pay millions of dollars to each eligible Black resident, considering the state faces a projected budget deficit of $22.5 billion for the coming fiscal year.
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