July 6, 2023
California Federation of Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the CFRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
AB 3121 was passed in 2020
AB 3121, Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The Task Force that was established as a result of this bill in 2020, has now completed their report. It comprises over 1,000 pages of proposals for the Governor and legislature to review and act on. Besides policy recommendations, there is an analysis of the State’s history of slavery and racism. It must be noted that California did not become a state until after the end of slavery, so this history points to the long-term ramifications even without legal slavery existing.
The list of subjects covered include racial wealth gap, mental and physical harm and neglect, unjust legal system, stolen labor and hindered opportunity, control over creative, cultural and intellectual life, pathologizing the Black family, racism in environmental infrastructure, separate and unequal education, housing segregation, political disenfranchisement, and racial terror.
Of utmost importance is that a formal apology on behalf of California to descendants of people enslaved in the United States is highly recommended.
Who is eligible for reparations? This turned out to be a controversial issue. On a 5/4 vote, it was determined by the Task Force that eligibility for compensation would be based on lineage and limited to the descendants of enslaved peoples and free Black people who lived in the country before the end of the 19th century. The task to identify and properly recognize these people is going to be a challenge as acknowledged by the Task Force as well as the Governor. The Task Force also estimated the cost to the State of California to be around $560 billion. One example of funding to affected individuals is related to housing discrimination and would mean reimbursement of $223,200 per qualified individual.
Governor Newsom declined to endorse cash payments which he said would be $1.2 million per person.
Because there are recommendations for every area of government, future legislative sessions will need to be monitored for proposed legislation dealing with the Task Force’s report.
Full report: https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121/report
Chapter 17: Final recommendations: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/ch17-ca-reparations.pdf
SB 490, Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. (Introduced 2/14/2023)
Existing law establishes the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States (Task Force). Under existing law, the Task Force consists of 9 members, with 5 members appointed by the Governor, 2 members appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate, and 2 members appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Existing law establishes the term of office for members as the life of the Task Force.
Existing law requires the Task Force, among other things, to identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation. Existing law requires the Task Force to submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature within one year of the first meeting of the Task Force, as prescribed. Existing law repeals these provisions on July 1, 2023.
This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until July 1, 2024.
Hearing: Jul 5 @ 1:30 pm in State Capitol, Room 126 (canceled at author’s request)
AB 659 Cancer Prevention Act – This bill has been amended for the better. This bill, the Cancer Prevention Act, would declare the public policy of the state that pupils are “recommended” rather than “expected” to be fully immunized against human papillomavirus (HPV) before admission or advancement to the 8th grade level of any private or public elementary or secondary school. The bill would, upon a pupil’s admission or advancement to be the 8th grade level, require the governing authority to submit to the pupil and their parent or guardian a notification containing a statement about that public policy and advising that the pupil be fully immunized against HPV before admission or advancement to the 8th grade level. As amended, this bill would incorporate that notification into existing provisions relating to notifications by school districts.
This bill is currently pending in the Senate Education Committee scheduled for hearing on July 7.
Budget discussion next week
To contact your U.S. Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
Legislative Portal links- Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of RWF or CFRW)– click here, or the bill’s author- click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”.
