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DESCRIPTION:California State Capitol and Online Juneteenth Watch Party\nH.R. 40 
 Legislation is part of the path toward restorative justice for 400+ years 
 of enslavement and affliction.  \n\nUS House of Representatives Resolution 
 ( H.R. 40 )\n\nTo 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.\n\nIN THE HOUSE OF 
 REPRESENTATIVES\nJanuary 3, 2017\nMr. 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. Gutiérrez, 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\n\nA BILL\nTo 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.\n\nBe it 
 enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of 
 America in Congress assembled,\nSECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\nThis Act may be 
 cited as the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for 
 African-Americans Act”.\n\nSEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.\n\n(a) 
 Findings.—The Congress finds that—\n\n(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;\n\n(2) the 
 institution of slavery was constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned by 
 the Government of the United States from 1789 through 1865;\n\n(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;\n\n(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\n\n(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\n\n(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.\n\n(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—\n\n(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;\n\n(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;\n\n(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;\n\n(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;\n\n(5) the role of Northern complicity in the Southern based 
 institution of slavery;\n\n(6) the direct benefits to societal 
 institutions, public and private, including higher education, corporations, 
 religious and associational;\n\n(7) and thus, recommend appropriate ways to 
 educate the American public of the Commission’s findings;\n\n(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\n\n(9) submit to the Congress the results of such examination, 
 together with such recommendations.\n\nSEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND 
 DUTIES.\n\n(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”).\n\n(b) Duties.—The 
 Commission shall perform the following duties:\n\n(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—\n\n(A) the capture and procurement of 
 Africans;\n\n(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;\n\n(C) the sale and acquisition 
 of Africans as chattel property in interstate and intrastate 
 commerce;\n\n(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\n\n(E) the extensive denial of humanity, sexual abuse and the 
 chatellization of persons.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(6) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the American public of 
 the Commission’s findings.\n\n(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:\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(E) How, in consideration of the 
 Commission’s findings, any form of compensation to the descendants of 
 enslaved African is calculated.\n\n(F) What form of compensation should be 
 awarded, through what instrumentalities and who should be eligible for such 
 compensation.\n\n(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.\n\n(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).\n\nSEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.\n\n(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:\n\n(A) Three members shall be appointed by the 
 President.\n\n(B) Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
 House of Representatives.\n\n(C) One member shall be appointed by the 
 President pro tempore of the Senate.\n\n(D) Six members shall be selected 
 from the major civil society and reparations organizations that have 
 historically championed the cause of reparatory justice.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(d) Quorum.—Seven members of the 
 Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold 
 hearings.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\nSEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\nSEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE 
 PROVISIONS.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(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.\n\n(e) Contracts.—The Commission may—\n\n(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\n\n(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.\n\nSEC. 7. 
 TERMINATION.\n\nThe Commission shall terminate 90 days after the date on 
 which the Commission submits its report to the Congress under section 
 3(c).\n\nSEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.\n\nTo carry out the 
 provisions of this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated 
 $12,000,000.\n https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/14/18823964.php
SUMMARY:CA State Capitol Juneteenth Watch Party ~ H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice
LOCATION:US House of Representatives ~ Rayburn Building\nJudiciary - Subcommittee on 
 the Constitution\nWashington, DC
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2019/06/14/18823964.php
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DTEND:20190619T160000Z
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