Sheila Jackson Lee: “It has been 38 years, and I rise with enthusiasm on reintroducing H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop…”

“It has been 38 years, and I rise with enthusiasm on reintroducing H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. I am pleased to reintroduce this legislation and to acknowledge to my friends and colleagues that it was first introduced in 1989 after the implementation of the American Civil Liberties Act that provided compensation to Japanese Americans. H.R. 40 does not focus on all of that only. It focuses on the study of slavery and the understanding of what would be the next steps to end the vast disparities in the African-American community even today in 2023. And so this introduction allows for a study, an analysis, and action. I am pleased with the more than 350 organizations, CEOs, scholars, State and local officials, and Members of Congress who have been supportive in understanding the era of slavery in this country. The 13th amendment may have ended slavery, but the disparities exist. Let us pass H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to re-introduce H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act. This legislation was first introduced by retired Member of Congress John Conyers of Michigan in 1989 and was intended to examine the institution of slavery in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present, and further recommend appropriate remedies.…”