Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act
Sponsored By: Representative Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Introduced
Summary
Create a federal commission to study slavery and propose reparations. This bill would set up a legislative-branch commission to document the history of slavery and subsequent government and private discrimination, evaluate ongoing harms to African Americans, consider forms of compensation and other remedies, and send recommendations to Congress within 18 months of its first full meeting.
Show full summary
- Families and descendants: The commission would compile evidence of capture, transport, sale as chattel, abuse, and long-term harms and study eligibility and forms of compensation. It cites about 4 million people enslaved and a current wealth gap of less than one-sixteenth the wealth of White families.
- Education and public healing: The panel would recommend education strategies and changes to instructional resources to acknowledge the humanity of enslaved people and promote racial healing.
- Federal and institutional accountability: The commission would analyze government complicity and discriminatory programs — including redlining, segregationist housing policies, early Social Security exclusions, GI Bill administration, and labor laws — and propose apologies, policy reversals, programs, or other remedies.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
National commission to study reparations
This bill would create a national commission to study the legacy of slavery and propose remedies, with a report due 18 months after its first full meeting. Congress could appropriate up to $20 million to run it. The commission would be able to hire staff, contract for research, and subpoena witnesses and documents. Federal agencies would have to share requested information, which the commission would keep secure. The commission would not itself make payments or benefits.
Who serves and how the commission operates
The commission would have 15 members. The President, the House Speaker, and the Senate President pro tempore would each name three political members within 60 days; a director and six experts would be chosen soon after, and no sitting government employees could serve. Members could be paid up to the daily rate for Executive Schedule level IV and get travel reimbursements. The commission would be exempt from federal advisory committee public‑meeting rules. It would end 90 days after it sends its final report to Congress.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Adams
NC • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
OH • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]
VA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Bishop
GA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]
OH • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Carson
IN • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]
LA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]
HI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Cherfilus-McCormick
FL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
MO • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Clyburn
SC • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Cohen
TN • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Connolly
VA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Davis (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Doggett, Lloyd [D-TX-37]
TX • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Espaillat
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Fletcher
TX • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]
NC • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
TX • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]
TX • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]
CT • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Himes
CT • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4]
NV • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Jackson (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Pingree
ME • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]
PA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Schakowsky
IL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11]
MI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Swalwell
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39]
CA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Thompson (MS)
MS • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Trahan
MA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
GA • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Wilson (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 2/12/2025
Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
OH • D
Sponsored 2/21/2025
Stansbury
NM • D
Sponsored 3/3/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/17/2025
Smith (WA)
WA • D
Sponsored 5/19/2025
Mfume
MD • D
Sponsored 6/3/2025
Scott, David
GA • D
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Crockett
TX • D
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/11/2025
Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Khanna
CA • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Sewell
AL • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Del. Plaskett, Stacey E. [D-VI-At Large]
VI • D
Sponsored 6/20/2025
Soto
FL • D
Sponsored 6/23/2025
Castro (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 6/23/2025
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 7/14/2025
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/23/2025
Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]
CO • D
Sponsored 8/8/2025
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Sponsored 8/19/2025
Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1]
CO • D
Sponsored 8/29/2025
Gomez
CA • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3]
KY • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Scott (VA)
VA • D
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Rep. Menefee, Christian D. [D-TX-18]
TX • D
Sponsored 4/20/2026
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
CA • D
Sponsored 4/28/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov