Could This Help With Reparations? The H.R.1242 - 400 Years of AA History Commission Act Passed

[xoxodede]

Did you all know about this?

Could this bill help our reparations push?

I think using the funding in this bill - we could work on pulling together programs, information and data to help for a greater push for reparations.

It can also help us get Monuments, Markers, Documentaries, Research and funding for our schools and communities.

Some ideas that come to mind are:

• Mandatory AA/Black History Sections or dedicated libraries in our schools and communities

• Museums in Southern States with Slavery legacy. Here's one example: Hanged, Burned, Shot, Drowned, Beaten

• Free Genealogist Network for AADOS - Genealogy specialist that are dedicated to helping AADOS pull together their family tree.

• Revision of all history books to update the Black American story

• Push for mandatory Black History Class in all public and private
• schools

• Push for mandatory Black History Class/Exam for Immigrants

Any more ideas?


-------------------------



H.R.1242 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act

Public Law No: 115-102 (01/08/2018)
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on May 1, 2017. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

400 Years of African-American History Commission Act

(Sec. 3) This bill establishes the 400 Years of African-American History Commission to develop and carry out activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans inthe English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619.

The commission must:

• plan programs to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States;
• encourage civic, patriotic, historical, educational, artistic, religious, and economic organizations to organize and participate in anniversary activities;
• assist states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration; and
• coordinate for the public scholarly research on the arrival of Africans in the United States and their contributions to this country.

(Sec. 5) The commission may provide: (1) grants to communities and nonprofit organizations for the development of programs; (2) grants to research and scholarly organizations to research, publish, or distributeinformation relating to the arrival of Africans in the United States; and (3) technical assistance to states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration.

(Sec. 7) The commission must prepare a strategic plan and submit a final report to Congress that contains a summary of its activities, an accounting of its received and expended funds, and its recommendations.

(Sec. 8) The commission shall terminate on July 1, 2020.

(Sec. 9) All expenditures of the commission shall be made solely from donated funds.

Source(s):
H.R.1242 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act
President Donald J. Trump signs H.R. 560, H.R. 1242, H.R. 1306, H.R. 1927, S. 1393, S. 1532, S. 1766

 

[K.O.N.Y]

this went way under the radar

 

[Secure Da Bag]

(Sec. 8) The commission shall terminate on July 1, 2020.

(Sec. 9) All expenditures of the commission shall be made solely from donated funds.

That doesn't seem like enougn time.

"From donated funds" sounds like it's gonna be underfunded.

But it's still better than nothing. And that was definitely under the radar.

Here's John Conyers' reparation bill for comparison.

Text - H.R.40 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act

Spoiler

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 40 Introduced in House (IH)]

115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 40

To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and
inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies
between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and
consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the
institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and
economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of
these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to
the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2017

Mr. Conyers (for himself, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Ellison, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Lewis of Georgia,
Mr. Nadler, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Clay, Mr. Gutierrez,
Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Jackson Lee,
and Ms. Lee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL



To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and
inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies
between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and
consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the
institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and
economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of
these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to
the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Commission to Study and Develop
Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) approximately 4,000,000 Africans and their descendants
were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the
United States from 1619 to 1865;
(2) the institution of slavery was constitutionally and
statutorily sanctioned by the Government of the United States
from 1789 through 1865;
(3) the slavery that flourished in the United States
constituted an immoral and inhumane deprivation of Africans'
life, liberty, African citizenship rights, and cultural
heritage, and denied them the fruits of their own labor;
(4) a preponderance of scholarly, legal, community
evidentiary documentation and popular culture markers
constitute the basis for inquiry into the on-going effects of
the institution of slavery and its legacy of persistent
systemic structures of discrimination on living African-
Americans and society in the United States; and
(5) following the abolition of slavery the United States
Government, at the Federal, State, and local level, continued
to perpetuate, condone and often profit from practices that
continued to brutalize and disadvantage African-Americans,
including share cropping, convict leasing, Jim Crow, redlining,
unequal education, and disproportionate treatment at the hands
of the criminal justice system; and
(6) as a result of the historic and continued
discrimination, African-Americans continue to suffer
debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships
including but not limited to; having nearly 1,000,000 Black
people incarcerated; an unemployment rate more than twice the
current White unemployment rate; and an average of less than
\1/16\ of the wealth of White families, a disparity which has
worsened, not improved over time.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a commission
to study and develop Reparation proposals for African-Americans as a
result of--
(1) the institution of slavery, including both the Trans-
Atlantic and the domestic ``trade'' which existed from 1565 in
colonial Florida and from 1619 through 1865 within the other
colonies that became the United States, and which included the
Federal and State governments which constitutionally and
statutorily supported the institution of slavery;
(2) the de jure and de facto discrimination against freed
slaves and their descendants from the end of the Civil War to
the present, including economic, political, educational, and
social discrimination;
(3) the lingering negative effects of the institution of
slavery and the discrimination described in paragraphs (1) and
(2) on living African-Americans and on society in the United
States;
(4) the manner in which textual and digital instructional
resources and technologies are being used to deny the
inhumanity of slavery and the crime against humanity of people
of African descent in the United States;
(5) the role of Northern complicity in the Southern based
institution of slavery;
(6) the direct benefits to societal institutions, public
and private, including higher education, corporations,
religious and associational;
(7) and thus, recommend appropriate ways to educate the
American public of the Commission's findings;
(8) and thus, recommend appropriate remedies in
consideration of the Commission's findings on the matters
described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6); and
(9) submit to the Congress the results of such examination,
together with such recommendations.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES.

(a) Establishment.--There is established the Commission to Study
and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans (hereinafter in
this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').
(b) Duties.--The Commission shall perform the following duties:
(1) Identify, compile and synthesize the relevant corpus of
evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery which
existed within the United States and the colonies that became
the United States from 1619 through 1865. The Commission's
documentation and examination shall include but not be limited
to the facts related to--
(A) the capture and procurement of Africans;
(B) the transport of Africans to the United States
and the colonies that became the United States for the
purpose of enslavement, including their treatment
during transport;
(C) the sale and acquisition of Africans as chattel
property in interstate and intrastate commerce;
(D) the treatment of African slaves in the colonies
and the United States, including the deprivation of
their freedom, exploitation of their labor, and
destruction of their culture, language, religion, and
families; and
(E) the extensive denial of humanity, sexual abuse
and the chatellization of persons.
(2) The role which the Federal and State governments of the
United States supported the institution of slavery in
constitutional and statutory provisions, including the extent
to which such governments prevented, opposed, or restricted
efforts of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents to
repatriate to their homeland.
(3) The Federal and State laws that discriminated against
formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents who were
deemed United States citizens from 1868 to the present.
(4) The other forms of discrimination in the public and
private sectors against freed African slaves and their
descendents who were deemed United States citizens from 1868 to
the present, including redlining, educational funding
discrepancies, and predatory financial practices.
(5) The lingering negative effects of the institution of
slavery and the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3),
(4), (5), and (6) on living African-Americans and on society in
the United States.
(6) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the American
public of the Commission's findings.
(7) Recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the
Commission's findings on the matters described in paragraphs
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6). In making such
recommendations, the Commission shall address among other
issues, the following questions:
(A) How such recommendations comport with
international standards of remedy for wrongs and
injuries caused by the State, that include full
reparations and special measures, as understood by
various relevant international protocols, laws, and
findings.
(B) How the Government of the United States will
offer a formal apology on behalf of the people of the
United States for the perpetration of gross human
rights violations and crimes against humanity on
African slaves and their descendants.
(C) How Federal laws and policies that continue to
disproportionately and negatively affect African-
Americans as a group, and those that purpetuate the
lingering effects, materially and psycho-social, can be
eliminated.
(D) How the injuries resulting from matters
described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and
(6) can be reversed and provide appropriate policies,
programs, projects and recommendations for the purpose
of reversing the injuries.
(E) How, in consideration of the Commission's
findings, any form of compensation to the descendants
of enslaved African is calculated.
(F) What form of compensation should be awarded,
through what instrumentalities and who should be
eligible for such compensation.
(G) How, in consideration of the Commission's
findings, any other forms of rehabilitation or
restitution to African descendants is warranted and
what the form and scope of those measures should take.
(c) Report to Congress.--The Commission shall submit a written
report of its findings and recommendations to the Congress not later
than the date which is one year after the date of the first meeting of
the Commission held pursuant to section 4(c).

 

[Secure Da Bag]

The rest of the bill

Spoiler

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

(a) Number and Appointment.--(1) The Commission shall be composed
of 13 members, who shall be appointed, within 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, as follows:
(A) Three members shall be appointed by the President.
(B) Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
(C) One member shall be appointed by the President pro
tempore of the Senate.
(D) Six members shall be selected from the major civil
society and reparations organizations that have historically
championed the cause of reparatory justice.
(2) All members of the Commission shall be persons who are
especially qualified to serve on the Commission by virtue of their
education, training, activism or experience, particularly in the field
of African-American studies and reparatory justice.
(b) Terms.--The term of office for members shall be for the life of
the Commission. A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers
of the Commission and shall be filled in the same manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(c) First Meeting.--The President shall call the first meeting of
the Commission within 120 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act or within 30 days after the date on which legislation is enacted
making appropriations to carry out this Act, whichever date is later.
(d) Quorum.--Seven members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(e) Chair and Vice Chair.--The Commission shall elect a Chair and
Vice Chair from among its members. The term of office of each shall be
for the life of the Commission.
(f) Compensation.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), each
member of the Commission shall receive compensation at the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the
General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for
each day, including travel time, during which he or she is engaged in
the actual performance of duties vested in the Commission.
(2) A member of the Commission who is a full-time officer or
employee of the United States or a Member of Congress shall receive no
additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of his or her service
to the Commission.
(3) All members of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel,
subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties to the extent authorized by chapter 57 of
title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and
act at such times and at such places in the United States, and request
the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of
such books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, and documents,
as the Commission considers appropriate. The Commission may invoke the
aid of an appropriate United States district court to require, by
subpoena or otherwise, such attendance, testimony, or production.
(b) Powers of Subcommittees and Members.--Any subcommittee or
member of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any
action which the Commission is authorized to take by this section.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may acquire directly
from the head of any department, agency, or instrumentality of the
executive branch of the Government, available information which the
Commission considers useful in the discharge of its duties. All
departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch of
the Government shall cooperate with the Commission with respect to such
information and shall furnish all information requested by the
Commission to the extent permitted by law.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

(a) Staff.--The Commission may, without regard to section 5311(b)
of title 5, United States Code, appoint and fix the compensation of
such personnel as the Commission considers appropriate.
(b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The staff of the
Commission may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title
5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive
service, and without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and
subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification
and General Schedule pay rates, except that the compensation of any
employee of the Commission may not exceed a rate equal to the annual
rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule under
section 5332 of title 5, United States Code.
(c) Experts and Consultants.--The Commission may procure the
services of experts and consultants in accordance with the provisions
of section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for
individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the highest rate
payable under section 5332 of such title.
(d) Administrative Support Services.--The Commission may enter into
agreements with the Administrator of General Services for procurement
of financial and administrative services necessary for the discharge of
the duties of the Commission. Payment for such services shall be made
by reimbursement from funds of the Commission in such amounts as may be
agreed upon by the Chairman of the Commission and the Administrator.
(e) Contracts.--The Commission may--
(1) procure supplies, services, and property by contract in
accordance with applicable laws and regulations and to the
extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriations
Acts; and
(2) enter into contracts with departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities of the Federal Government, State agencies,
and private firms, institutions, and agencies, for the conduct
of research or surveys, the preparation of reports, and other
activities necessary for the discharge of the duties of the
Commission, to the extent or in such amounts as are provided in
appropriations Acts.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the
Commission submits its report to the Congress under section 3(c).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

To carry out the provisions of this Act, there are authorized to be
appropriated $12,000,000.

 

[Neuromancer]

suvs

 

[xoxodede]

That doesn't seem like enougn time.

"From donated funds" sounds like it's gonna be underfunded.

But it's still better than nothing. And that was definitely under the radar.

Here's John Conyers' reparation bill for comparison.

Text - H.R.40 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act

Spoiler

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 40 Introduced in House (IH)]

115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 40

To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and
inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies
between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and
consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the
institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and
economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of
these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to
the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 3, 2017

Mr. Conyers (for himself, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Ellison, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Lewis of Georgia,
Mr. Nadler, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Clay, Mr. Gutierrez,
Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Jackson Lee,
and Ms. Lee) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL



To address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and
inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies
between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and
consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the
institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and
economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of
these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to
the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Commission to Study and Develop
Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

(a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) approximately 4,000,000 Africans and their descendants
were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the
United States from 1619 to 1865;
(2) the institution of slavery was constitutionally and
statutorily sanctioned by the Government of the United States
from 1789 through 1865;
(3) the slavery that flourished in the United States
constituted an immoral and inhumane deprivation of Africans'
life, liberty, African citizenship rights, and cultural
heritage, and denied them the fruits of their own labor;
(4) a preponderance of scholarly, legal, community
evidentiary documentation and popular culture markers
constitute the basis for inquiry into the on-going effects of
the institution of slavery and its legacy of persistent
systemic structures of discrimination on living African-
Americans and society in the United States; and
(5) following the abolition of slavery the United States
Government, at the Federal, State, and local level, continued
to perpetuate, condone and often profit from practices that
continued to brutalize and disadvantage African-Americans,
including share cropping, convict leasing, Jim Crow, redlining,
unequal education, and disproportionate treatment at the hands
of the criminal justice system; and
(6) as a result of the historic and continued
discrimination, African-Americans continue to suffer
debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships
including but not limited to; having nearly 1,000,000 Black
people incarcerated; an unemployment rate more than twice the
current White unemployment rate; and an average of less than
\1/16\ of the wealth of White families, a disparity which has
worsened, not improved over time.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a commission
to study and develop Reparation proposals for African-Americans as a
result of--
(1) the institution of slavery, including both the Trans-
Atlantic and the domestic ``trade'' which existed from 1565 in
colonial Florida and from 1619 through 1865 within the other
colonies that became the United States, and which included the
Federal and State governments which constitutionally and
statutorily supported the institution of slavery;
(2) the de jure and de facto discrimination against freed
slaves and their descendants from the end of the Civil War to
the present, including economic, political, educational, and
social discrimination;
(3) the lingering negative effects of the institution of
slavery and the discrimination described in paragraphs (1) and
(2) on living African-Americans and on society in the United
States;
(4) the manner in which textual and digital instructional
resources and technologies are being used to deny the
inhumanity of slavery and the crime against humanity of people
of African descent in the United States;
(5) the role of Northern complicity in the Southern based
institution of slavery;
(6) the direct benefits to societal institutions, public
and private, including higher education, corporations,
religious and associational;
(7) and thus, recommend appropriate ways to educate the
American public of the Commission's findings;
(8) and thus, recommend appropriate remedies in
consideration of the Commission's findings on the matters
described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6); and
(9) submit to the Congress the results of such examination,
together with such recommendations.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES.

(a) Establishment.--There is established the Commission to Study
and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans (hereinafter in
this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').
(b) Duties.--The Commission shall perform the following duties:
(1) Identify, compile and synthesize the relevant corpus of
evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery which
existed within the United States and the colonies that became
the United States from 1619 through 1865. The Commission's
documentation and examination shall include but not be limited
to the facts related to--
(A) the capture and procurement of Africans;
(B) the transport of Africans to the United States
and the colonies that became the United States for the
purpose of enslavement, including their treatment
during transport;
(C) the sale and acquisition of Africans as chattel
property in interstate and intrastate commerce;
(D) the treatment of African slaves in the colonies
and the United States, including the deprivation of
their freedom, exploitation of their labor, and
destruction of their culture, language, religion, and
families; and
(E) the extensive denial of humanity, sexual abuse
and the chatellization of persons.
(2) The role which the Federal and State governments of the
United States supported the institution of slavery in
constitutional and statutory provisions, including the extent
to which such governments prevented, opposed, or restricted
efforts of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents to
repatriate to their homeland.
(3) The Federal and State laws that discriminated against
formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents who were
deemed United States citizens from 1868 to the present.
(4) The other forms of discrimination in the public and
private sectors against freed African slaves and their
descendents who were deemed United States citizens from 1868 to
the present, including redlining, educational funding
discrepancies, and predatory financial practices.
(5) The lingering negative effects of the institution of
slavery and the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3),
(4), (5), and (6) on living African-Americans and on society in
the United States.
(6) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the American
public of the Commission's findings.
(7) Recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the
Commission's findings on the matters described in paragraphs
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6). In making such
recommendations, the Commission shall address among other
issues, the following questions:
(A) How such recommendations comport with
international standards of remedy for wrongs and
injuries caused by the State, that include full
reparations and special measures, as understood by
various relevant international protocols, laws, and
findings.
(B) How the Government of the United States will
offer a formal apology on behalf of the people of the
United States for the perpetration of gross human
rights violations and crimes against humanity on
African slaves and their descendants.
(C) How Federal laws and policies that continue to
disproportionately and negatively affect African-
Americans as a group, and those that purpetuate the
lingering effects, materially and psycho-social, can be
eliminated.
(D) How the injuries resulting from matters
described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), and
(6) can be reversed and provide appropriate policies,
programs, projects and recommendations for the purpose
of reversing the injuries.
(E) How, in consideration of the Commission's
findings, any form of compensation to the descendants
of enslaved African is calculated.
(F) What form of compensation should be awarded,
through what instrumentalities and who should be
eligible for such compensation.
(G) How, in consideration of the Commission's
findings, any other forms of rehabilitation or
restitution to African descendants is warranted and
what the form and scope of those measures should take.
(c) Report to Congress.--The Commission shall submit a written
report of its findings and recommendations to the Congress not later
than the date which is one year after the date of the first meeting of
the Commission held pursuant to section 4(c).

I agree. But, if we can find out the non-profit partner assigned to raise donations. We can add or make sure something is done useful to help further the cause.

I could be having the research that the H.r. 40 bill was supposed to do. Maybe broken down by states.

--

This is for another bill/act. But, I guess the process is finding a non-profit to help raise funds for the act. So, this bill/act needs to find a non-profit partner who will help raise funds for this act. Now, we just have to find out what non-profits are in the running to help with this.

Nonprofit Sought to Coordinate U.S.A.’s 250th Anniversary Commemoration

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a Request for Proposal seeking a nonprofit partner to serve as secretariat and administrator of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. The commission was established by Congress last year to coordinate and facilitate activities in 2026 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The nonprofit will raise funds for the commission’s work, prepare reports required by Congress, and provide administrative and financial support to the commission.

 

[xoxodede]

The rest of the bill

Spoiler

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

(a) Number and Appointment.--(1) The Commission shall be composed
of 13 members, who shall be appointed, within 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, as follows:
(A) Three members shall be appointed by the President.
(B) Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
(C) One member shall be appointed by the President pro
tempore of the Senate.
(D) Six members shall be selected from the major civil
society and reparations organizations that have historically
championed the cause of reparatory justice.
(2) All members of the Commission shall be persons who are
especially qualified to serve on the Commission by virtue of their
education, training, activism or experience, particularly in the field
of African-American studies and reparatory justice.
(b) Terms.--The term of office for members shall be for the life of
the Commission. A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers
of the Commission and shall be filled in the same manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(c) First Meeting.--The President shall call the first meeting of
the Commission within 120 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act or within 30 days after the date on which legislation is enacted
making appropriations to carry out this Act, whichever date is later.
(d) Quorum.--Seven members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(e) Chair and Vice Chair.--The Commission shall elect a Chair and
Vice Chair from among its members. The term of office of each shall be
for the life of the Commission.
(f) Compensation.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), each
member of the Commission shall receive compensation at the daily
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the
General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for
each day, including travel time, during which he or she is engaged in
the actual performance of duties vested in the Commission.
(2) A member of the Commission who is a full-time officer or
employee of the United States or a Member of Congress shall receive no
additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of his or her service
to the Commission.
(3) All members of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel,
subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the
performance of their duties to the extent authorized by chapter 57 of
title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and
act at such times and at such places in the United States, and request
the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of
such books, records, correspondence, memoranda, papers, and documents,
as the Commission considers appropriate. The Commission may invoke the
aid of an appropriate United States district court to require, by
subpoena or otherwise, such attendance, testimony, or production.
(b) Powers of Subcommittees and Members.--Any subcommittee or
member of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any
action which the Commission is authorized to take by this section.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may acquire directly
from the head of any department, agency, or instrumentality of the
executive branch of the Government, available information which the
Commission considers useful in the discharge of its duties. All
departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the executive branch of
the Government shall cooperate with the Commission with respect to such
information and shall furnish all information requested by the
Commission to the extent permitted by law.

SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

(a) Staff.--The Commission may, without regard to section 5311(b)
of title 5, United States Code, appoint and fix the compensation of
such personnel as the Commission considers appropriate.
(b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The staff of the
Commission may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title
5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive
service, and without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and
subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification
and General Schedule pay rates, except that the compensation of any
employee of the Commission may not exceed a rate equal to the annual
rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule under
section 5332 of title 5, United States Code.
(c) Experts and Consultants.--The Commission may procure the
services of experts and consultants in accordance with the provisions
of section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates for
individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the highest rate
payable under section 5332 of such title.
(d) Administrative Support Services.--The Commission may enter into
agreements with the Administrator of General Services for procurement
of financial and administrative services necessary for the discharge of
the duties of the Commission. Payment for such services shall be made
by reimbursement from funds of the Commission in such amounts as may be
agreed upon by the Chairman of the Commission and the Administrator.
(e) Contracts.--The Commission may--
(1) procure supplies, services, and property by contract in
accordance with applicable laws and regulations and to the
extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriations
Acts; and
(2) enter into contracts with departments, agencies, and
instrumentalities of the Federal Government, State agencies,
and private firms, institutions, and agencies, for the conduct
of research or surveys, the preparation of reports, and other
activities necessary for the discharge of the duties of the
Commission, to the extent or in such amounts as are provided in
appropriations Acts.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

The Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which the
Commission submits its report to the Congress under section 3(c).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

To carry out the provisions of this Act, there are authorized to be
appropriated $12,000,000.

This isn't a reparations study bill - but a bill that can help gather what we need via research and data, etc. to help add to the reparations push. It's not the H.R. 40 bill proposal or anything close to it.

We could even request each state to support the H.R. 40 bill or ask them to sign pledge to support the bill as apart of this bill.

 

[Secure Da Bag]

This isn't a reparations study bill - but a bill that can help gather what we need via research and data, etc. to help add to the reparations push. It's not the H.R. 40 bill proposal or anything close to it.

There is some overlap on what should be researched. We agree on the difference in goal and purpose between the two bills.

 

[xoxodede]

Just to make sure we're on the same page, I split the HR40 bill in two posts. What you quoted is the second half of the HR40 bill.

Correct. I was just saying that portions of the H.R. 1242 bill can be used to help push the H.R. 40 bill into passing -- and help complete some smaller things needed in the the H.R. 40 bill proposal.

Such as below:

H.R. 1242

• coordinate for the public scholarly research on the arrival of Africans in the United States and their contributions to this country.
• assist states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration; and
• plan programs to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States;

In H.R. 40:

(4) a preponderance of scholarly, legal, community
evidentiary documentation and popular culture markers
constitute the basis for inquiry into the on-going effects of
the institution of slavery and its legacy of persistent
systemic structures of discrimination on living African-
Americans and society in the United States;
(2) The role which the Federal and State governments of the
United States supported the institution of slavery in
constitutional and statutory provisions, including the extent
to which such governments prevented, opposed, or restricted
efforts of formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents to
repatriate to their homeland.
(3) The Federal and State laws that discriminated against
formerly enslaved Africans and their descendents who were
deemed United States citizens from 1868 to the present.
(4) The other forms of discrimination in the public and
private sectors against freed African slaves and their
descendents who were deemed United States citizens from 1868 to
the present, including redlining, educational funding
discrepancies, and predatory financial practices.
(5) The lingering negative effects of the institution of
slavery and the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3),

​

Again, this is not a replacement for the H.R.40 bill proposal but it can help get some of what we need done for our push for reparations. We need to utilize each bills/act that has to do with AA to help do so - low key if possible.

 

[AlainLocke]

Been planning on writing my state reps about various things...this is one more thing to write them about...

There has been a gap in African American politics...

The Civil Rights Movements in this country has been whitewashed and turned into some type of bullshyt protest movement and supposedly all we did was talk and marched and have "conversations" and "discourses"...

We have forgotten the very real and essential policy work and the legal battles that we had since Frederick Douglass...

I mean if the fukking Jews got historical grants and rights in this country and the USA saved their asses...then we gotta get ours...

It's fukked up though that we gotta have non-profit funds...as if we don't deserve to be seriously studied...

fukk this country....

 

[xoxodede]

The age of enacting political change exclusively through political policy are dead. Gone. Kaput.

I have no idea, for the life of me, why blacks still have not learned their lesson.

The jews did not just get historical grants out of nowhere, they were not "more favoured" than blacks. Jews had a POWERFUL lobby of Jewish American upperclasses as well as vital support from European Jewish elite in countries like the UK and Germany. Why do you think so many were essentially allowed to come over stateside freely after the war was over.

If blacks want any hope of reparations then they need to fast grasp the concept of political technology and the idea that you dont need much beyond a small but powerful lobby of wealthy and effective businessmen, companies and political power brokers to make shyt happen in government. Thats how the Hispanics have been doing it. How the gays have been doing it and how the women have been doing it. Most amusing thing is that they're doing it off the back of blacks who are still 50 years behind the times and foolish enough to think that grassroots movement is the way to realize change.

At a certain point black people need to wake up and smell the coffee. I learned somewhere the the NRA is one of the most effective lobbies in America despite not actually having that much of a financial war chest and relatively paltry popular support. What they do have though is organisation. They have a network of organizers on both the lower and midlevel who consistently show up for voting sessions and are actively engaged in the political process.

I agree. We have to call out, address and if needed - remove our leadership/reps in organizations like Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, Black Urban League -- as well as work with Black lobbyist separately to make sure our needs are being addressed and solved.

One thing, that really needs to be addressed in our communities is our school closings. So, many schools in Black communities are being closed due to funding and not being equal or up on accreditation. This needs to be addressed asap. I have reached out to many congressman/women. I have been looking for a lobbyist to reach out to ask how to directly help with this.

For instance, in my homestate of Michigan. All the Black schools that were there when I was in school have been closed. There are NO schools (elementary, middle or HS) in the - primarily Black side of town. Now, parents have to drive 20 mins to take their kids to school. The schools are still in good shape structural wise - they just chose to consolidate them all on the white side of town.

 

[Poitier]

Are you aware of John Conyer's HR40?

 

[xoxodede]

Are you aware of John Conyer's HR40?

Yes - it didn't pass. It was last updated in January of last year. 01/12/2017 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice

Actions - H.R.40 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act

This bill listed could help with the push and advocate for the passing of HR40.

 

[xoxodede]

Please reach out to Christine Lucero, Commission Liaison via Mail or here: https://www.nps.gov/common/utilitie...rgs/1892/africanamericanhistorycommission.htm

And ask how the public can request to be involved and how can we submit projects that we would like to be funded.


400 Years of African-American History Commission - Office of Policy (U.S. National Park Service)



400 Years of African-American History Commission

Statue of Booker T. Washington "Lifting the Veil of Ignorance" by Charles Keck, located at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama
Library of Congress, The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [LC-DIG-highsm- 05950]

In August 1619, 20 enslaved Africans were brought to Point Comfort in the English colony of Virginia. Point Comfort is now part of Fort Monroe National Monument.

The 400 Years of African-American History Commission Act, signed into law January 8, 2018, established a 15-member commission to coordinate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans in the English colonies. The Commission will meet at least three times a year.

The Commission's purpose is to plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities throughout the United States that:

• recognize and highlight the resilience and cultural contributions of Africans and African Americans over 400 years;
• acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States;
• encourage civic, patriotic, historical, educational, artistic, religious, and economic organizations to organize and take part in anniversary activities;
• assist states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration; and
• coordinate scholarly research about the arrival of Africans and their contributions to the United States.

The Commission may also provide:

• grants to communities and nonprofit organizations to develop programs;
• grants to research and scholarly organizations to research, publish, or distribute information about the arrival of Africans in the United States; and
• technical assistance to states, localities, and nonprofit organizations.

Strategic Plan
The Commission's Strategic Plan outlines the mission, vision, values, goals, and initiatives for the 400th anniversary commemoration.

Meetings
February 13, 2019 Meeting
The Commission met in Washington, DC on Wednesday, February 13, 2019. A public forum was held from 3 pm to 5 pm at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

November 28, 2018 Meeting
The Commission met at Fort Monroe National Monument on Wednesday, November 28, 2018.

Meeting Summary

For more information about Commission meetings, please email Christine Lucero at e-mail us.

Members
The Secretary of the Interior has appointed Commission members based on recommendations by Members of Congress, state governors, civil rights and historical organizations, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service.

Primary Members
Mr. Terry E. Brown, Superintendent, Fort Monroe National Monument, National Park Service, Virginia
Mr. Lonnie G. Bunch III, Founding Director, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; former President, Chicago Historical Society; Former Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
Mr. Ron Carson, Founder, Appalachian African-American Cultural Center; CEO and President, Carson Black Lung Centers, Pennington Gap, Virginia
Ms. Kenya M. Cox, President, Kansas State Conference of NAACP Branches; Executive Director, Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Office of the Governor, Topeka, Kansas
Prophet N. “Anyanwu” Cox, M.Ed., Minister and Founder, Reconciliation Ministry Without Walls; International Missions; Retired Nurse; Community Advocate and Activist, Wichita, Kansas
Dr. Rex M. Ellis, Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Former Vice President, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Member, Board of Trustees, Fort Monroe Authority, Williamsburg, Virginia
Mr. Ted T. Ellis, Artist and Cultural Historian; Art Ambassador, National Juneteenth Organization, Friendswood, Texas (formally of New Orleans, Louisiana)
Mr. Glenn M. Freeman, President, Omaha Chapter, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, a patriotic civic organization; retired decorated Air Force Chief Master Sergeant; Omaha, Nebraska
Dr. Joseph L. Green, Jr., Pastor and Co-Founder Antioch Assembly; Founder and CEO, Josiah Generation Ministries; Founder, The 2019 Movement, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Hannibal B. Johnson, Esq., Attorney, Author, College Professor, and Independent Consultant; Member, 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mr. Kenneth S. Johnson, President and CEO, JMI, a Richmond-based marketing and communications firm; Member, Board of Trustees, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia
Mr. Bob Kendrick, President, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
Mr. George Keith Martin, Managing Partner, McGuireWoods law firm, Richmond office; Member, 2019 Commemoration (VA) Steering Committee, Richmond, Virginia
Dr. Myron L. Pope, Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Central Oklahoma; Adjunct Instructor, Department of African and African-American Studies, The University of Oklahoma; Advisory Board Member, Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools, Edmond, Oklahoma

Alternate Members
Mr. Lewis H. Rogers, Jr., Superintendent, Petersburg National Battlefield, National Park Service, Virginia

Related Links
400 Years of African-American History Commission Act (Public Law 115-102)
African American Heritage—stories of the African American experience preserved in our national parks and historic places
Fort Monroe National Monument
Contact Information
The Commission is administered by the National Park Service.

Christine Lucero, Commission Liaison
400 Years of African-American History Commission
P.O. Box 210
Yorktown, VA 23690
757-856-1213

 

[Jemmy]

These commissions need younger people. Must vote these old people out and remodify every single bill involving us.