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NY A05603
Bill
Status
2/18/2025
Primary Sponsor
Nikki Lucas
Click for details
AI Summary
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Establishes the New York State American Freedmen Task Force on Reparations Remedies, an 11-member body appointed by the governor (5 members), senate president pro tempore (3 members), and assembly speaker (3 members) to study the effects of slavery and discrimination on descendants of enslaved persons
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Defines "American Freedmen" as individuals with at least one ancestor enslaved in the United States who was emancipated by the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation or the 13th Amendment
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Creates the New York State Freedmen's Bureau to distribute reparations and administer programs recommended by the task force, with initial focus on genealogical research to connect American Freedmen with their lineage
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Appropriates $72 million total: $50 million per fiscal year for the Freedmen's Bureau and $22 million for the task force (including $10 million for marketing, $10 million for community outreach, and $1.25 million for administrative costs)
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Requires the task force to submit a preliminary report within 16 months of its first meeting and a final report 14 months later, with recommendations for formal apology, compensation, and remedies aligned with five international law forms of reparations
Legislative Description
Enacts the "New York State American Freedmen Task Force on Reparations Remedies Act"; acknowledges New York state's role in the fundamental injustice and inhumanity of the institution of slavery; establishes the New York State American Freedmen Task Force on Reparations Remedies; examines all aspects of slavery, subsequent de jure and de facto racial, social and economic discrimination against American freedmen and the impact of these forces on living American freedmen and to make determinations regarding compensation and repair; establishes a New York state freedmen's bureau charged with the distribution of reparations and reparative justice passed in legislation by the state; makes an appropriation therefor.
Last Action
referred to governmental operations
1/7/2026