The legislative chamber of New York, in the United States, approved a bill on Thursday (8) that creates a commission to consider the payment of compensation to black residents of the state, with the aim of repairing the impacts of slavery. The bill now heads to New York Governor Kathy Hochul for final approval.
The measure creates a nine-person panel tasked with studying the legacy of slavery and segregation, their economic impacts on black New Yorkers, as well as the role of state and federal government in supporting slaveholding practices. “The consequences of slavery in New York State are not an echo of the past, but can still be observed in everyday life,” the bill reads.
monetary compensation
Commission members, chosen by the governor and state senate and house leaders, recommend possible “medicines and remedies,” including monetary compensation for the state’s black residents. If approved, the commission will have to present a report one year after its first meeting. Any recommendations made by it will be non-binding, that is, they may or may not be implemented by the state government and other bodies.
“This is historic legislation that will confront the insidious history of slavery and the way its legacy continues to affect black New Yorkers today,” New York Legislative Assembly Leader Carl Heastie said in a statement. State Rep. Michaelle Solages said the effort “is about starting the process of healing our communities.” “There is still a generational trauma that people are experiencing,” she said. “This is just one step forward.”
Meanwhile, Republican State Representative Andy Goodell, who voted against the bill, said he is “concerned that we are opening a door that has been closed in New York State for nearly 200 years.” The congressman stated, during the vote on the bill, that he supports existing efforts to bring equal opportunities to all and would like to “continue on that path, rather than focusing on reparations.”
Where will the resources come from?
New York’s proposal comes after California became the first state to form a task force on such reparations in 2020. The group approved a detailed plan last month that would see the state pay up to $1.2 million. in compensation to each eligible black resident, if approved by state legislators.
While the report doesn’t say how much the panel’s recommendations would cost the state, economists estimate that payments related to housing and mass incarceration alone could cost more than $500 billion. The report’s amends were suggested despite the harsh fiscal realities facing the state: Governor Gavin Newsom in January announced a $22.5 billion deficit for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
California Senator Steven Bradford, a member of the state’s Reparations Task Force, warns black residents that massive reparations payments “just aren’t going to happen.” He pointed out that “anything is possible when there is money”, but that the reality is that it will be difficult to find support for high-profile reparations when lawmakers have not even discussed where the money will come from.
“I don’t want to set people’s expectations and hope that they get, you know, seven-figure checks,” Bradford told Associated Press. “But that’s just not going to happen.” Governor Newsom did not endorse the task force’s recommendations: “This was an important process and we must continue to work as a nation to reconcile our original sin of slavery and understand how this history has shaped our country. Dealing with that legacy goes well beyond cash payments.”
© 2023 National Review. Published with permission. Original title: New York Lawmakers Approve Commission to Weigh Slavery Reparations
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