Maryland lawmakers approve reparations study; bill heads to Moore

A Maryland bill to create a commission to study and recommend future reparations for slavery and racial discrimination is heading to Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) desk for consideration. 

The bill, a top priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, passed in a 101-36 vote in the state’s House on Wednesday. 

The legislation outlines a host of potential reparations, including official statements of apology, financial compensation, assistance with making a down payment on a home, debt forgiveness and tuition payment waivers for higher education.

Moore — the state’s first Black governor and the nation’s only sitting Black governor — has said he will consider the bill but pointed to the state’s budget concerns.

The state currently faces a $3.3 billion deficit, and the nonpartisan Maryland Department of Legislative Services calculates the proposal for the study could cost a the state a total of $54,500 extra for the 2026 fiscal year.

There is no estimate yet on how much reparations would cost as a study has not been conducted to determine how much descendants of slavery would be awarded. 

If passed, the commission would assess federal, state and local policies from the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras. According to the bill, that time frame “led to economic disparities based on race, including housing segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.”

The commission would also study how both public and private institutions may have benefited from discriminatory policies and suggest reparations those institutions should offer. 

Maryland now joins California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Illinois in efforts to pass reparations. 

California’s reparations proposal remains the most ambitious, having recommended that eligible recipients receive up to $1.2 million each.

Though lawmakers on Capitol Hill have also introduced legislation to study reparations, no federal commission exists yet.

—Updated at 1 p.m. EDT