HB5914 - Enslavement Era Disclosure and Redress Act

• Requires all contractors bidding for state contracts to disclose any participation by the contractor or related entities in slaveholding or the slave trade during the Enslavement Era (early 1600s to 1865)

• Mandates contractors submit sworn affidavits 30 days before bidding, disclosing names of enslaved persons and slaveholders, evidence of insurance policies related to slavery, and proof of profits derived from slavery-related transactions

• Requires the Illinois Office of Equity to publish public reports on disclosures and hold public hearings within 45 days where contractor representatives must answer questions from state officials and the public

• Establishes a Redress Fund to receive mandatory financial contributions from contractors with disclosed participation in slavery, with funds directed to educational support and economic development in economically depressed Illinois areas affected by Jim Crow policies and redlining

• Imposes penalties including debarment from current bids for failure to submit affidavits, false statements, or failure to contribute to the Redress Fund; allows enforcement actions by the Office of Equity and any Illinois resident