Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

Georgia House Bill HB367 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	25 LC 59 0070
2	2	House Bill 367
3	3	By: Representatives Holly of the 116
4	4	th
5	5	, Gilliard of the 162
6	6	nd
7	7	, Bazemore of the 69
8	8	th
9	9	, Clark of
10	10	the 108
11	11	th
12	12	, and Jackson of the 68
13	13	th
14	14
15	15	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
16	16	AN ACT
17	17	To amend Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
18	18	1
19	19	commissions and other agencies, so as to create the Georgia Equity and Fairness2
20	20	Commission; to provide for members and officers; to provide for meetings, quorum, and3
21	21	compensation; to provide for the commission's duties and powers; to provide for reporting;4
22	22	to provide a definition; to provide a short title; to provide legislative findings; to provide for5
23	23	automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other6
24	24	purposes.7
25	25	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8
26	26	SECTION 1.9
27	27	This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission10
28	28	Act."11
29	29	SECTION 2.12
30	30	The General Assembly finds and declares the following:13
31	31	H. B. 367
32	32	- 1 - 25 LC 59 0070
33	33	(1) Millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the 13 American
34	34	14
35	35	colonies and the United States, including the Georgia colony and the State of Georgia,15
36	36	from 1619 through 1865;16
37	37	(2) The institution of chattel slavery was constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned by17
38	38	the United States government from 1789 through 1865;18
39	39	(3) The chattel slavery that flourished in Georgia and the United States constituted an19
40	40	immoral and inhumane deprivation of each African's life, liberty, African citizenship20
41	41	rights, and cultural heritage, and denied them the fruits of their own labor;21
42	42	(4) A preponderance of scholarly, legal, community evidentiary documentation, and22
43	43	popular culture markers constitute the basis for inquiry into the ongoing effects of the23
44	44	institution of chattel slavery and its legacy of persistent systemic structures of24
45	45	discrimination on the living descendants of chattel slavery and society in Georgia and the25
46	46	United States;26
47	47	(5) Following the abolition of chattel slavery, governments at the federal, state, and local27
48	48	levels continued to perpetuate, condone, and often profit from practices that continued28
49	49	to brutalize and disadvantage the descendants of chattel slavery, including sharecropping,29
50	50	convict leasing, Jim Crow laws, redlining, unequal education, and disproportionate30
51	51	treatment at the hands of the criminal justice system; and31
52	52	(6) As a result of historical and continued discrimination, the descendants of chattel32
53	53	slavery continue to suffer debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships,33
54	54	including having a high level of incarceration, a disproportionate unemployment rate, and34
55	55	an average of less than one-sixteenth of the wealth, a disparity which has worsened, not35
56	56	improved, over time.36
57	57	SECTION 3.37
58	58	Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to commissions38
59	59	and other agencies, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:39
60	60	H. B. 367
61	61	- 2 - 25 LC 59 0070
62	62	"ARTICLE 940
63	63	50-12-150.41
64	64	(a) There is created the Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission for examining the42
65	65	impact of chattel slavery on the descendants of chattel slavery and recommending43
66	66	appropriate remedies therefor.44
67	67	(b) As used in this article, the term 'commission' means the Georgia Equity and Fairness45
68	68	Commission.46
69	69	(c) The commission is assigned to the Department of Administrative Services for47
70	70	administrative purposes only as prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3.48
71	71	50-12-151.49
72	72	(a) The commission shall be composed of 11 members who are citizens of this state and50
73	73	shall be appointed as follows:51
74	74	(1) Three members appointed by the Governor, one of whom the Governor shall select52
75	75	as chairperson;53
76	76	(2) Two members appointed by the President of the Senate;54
77	77	(3) Two members appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;55
78	78	(4) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and56
79	79	(5) Two members appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.57
80	80	(b) Members of the commission shall be appointed from persons recommended by58
81	81	organizations concerned with the issues of civil rights; human rights; racial, social, and59
82	82	economic justice and equality; reparations; and other issues concerning the60
83	83	African-American community.61
84	84	(c) Members of the commission shall serve for the duration of the commission. Any62
85	85	vacancy shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.63
86	86	(d) The commission may elect officers, other than the chairperson, as it deems necessary.64
87	87	H. B. 367
88	88	- 3 - 25 LC 59 0070
89	89	50-12-152.65
90	90	(a) The commission may conduct meetings at such places and times as it deems necessary66
91	91	or convenient to enable it to fully and effectively exercise its powers, perform its duties,67
92	92	and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this article. The commission shall hold68
93	93	meetings at the call of the chairperson.69
94	94	(b) A quorum for transacting business shall be a majority of the members of the70
95	95	commission.71
96	96	(c) Legislative members of the commission shall receive the allowances provided for in72
97	97	Code Section 28-1-8. Nonlegislative members shall receive a daily expense allowance in73
98	98	the amount specified in subsection (b) of Code Section 45-7-21 as well as the mileage or74
99	99	transportation allowance authorized for state employees. Members of the commission who75
100	100	are state officials, other than legislative members, or state employees shall receive no76
101	101	compensation for their services on the commission, but shall be reimbursed for expenses77
102	102	incurred by them in the performance of their duties as members of the commission in the78
103	103	same manner as they are reimbursed for expenses in their capacities as state officials or79
104	104	state employees. The funds necessary for the reimbursement of the expenses of state80
105	105	officials, other than legislative members, and state employees shall come from funds81
106	106	appropriated to or otherwise available to their respective departments. All other funds82
107	107	necessary to carry out the provisions of this article shall come from funds appropriated to83
108	108	the commission.84
109	109	50-12-153.85
110	110	(a) The commission shall:86
111	111	(1) Examine the extent to which the State of Georgia supported the institution of chattel87
112	112	slavery in constitutional and statutory provisions;88
113	113	H. B. 367
114	114	- 4 - 25 LC 59 0070
115	115	(2) Examine the state's laws that discriminated against chattel slaves and their89
116	116	descendants from the end of the Civil War, through the era of Jim Crow laws, to the90
117	117	present;91
118	118	(3) Examine the lingering negative effects of the institution of chattel slavery on the92
119	119	descendants of chattel slavery in Georgia;93
120	120	(4) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the public on the commission's findings;94
121	121	and95
122	122	(5) Recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the commission's findings. In96
123	123	making such recommendation, the commission shall address the form, amount, and97
124	124	eligibility for any restitution.98
125	125	(b) The commission shall submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to99
126	126	the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and100
127	127	the minority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives no later than three months101
128	128	after the date of the last meeting of the commission. The commission shall also make such102
129	129	report available to the public.103
130	130	50-12-154.104
131	131	(a) The commission shall have the following powers:105
132	132	(1) To accept public or private grants, devises, and bequests;106
133	133	(2) To authorize entering into contracts or agreements through the commission's107
134	134	chairperson necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties;108
135	135	(3) To establish rules and procedures for conducting the business of the commission;109
136	136	(4) To hold public hearings; and110
137	137	(5) To request the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of such111
138	138	documents as the commission deems necessary to fulfill its duties.112
139	139	(b) The commission may request and receive information from appropriate state agencies113
140	140	which the commission deems useful in fulfilling its duties. Such agencies shall cooperate114
141	141	H. B. 367
142	142	- 5 - 25 LC 59 0070
143	143	with the commission with respect to such information and shall furnish all information115
144	144	requested by the commission to the extent permitted by law.116
145	145	50-12-155.117
146	146	The commission shall be abolished and this article shall stand repealed on June 30, 2027."118
147	147	SECTION 4.119
148	148	All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.120
149	149	H. B. 367
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