Recognizing the 25th Army Corps of the Union Army and thanking them for their role in capturing Galveston, Texas, on June 5th, 1865, and liberating thousands of enslaved people.
Recognizing that the United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Thomas Garrett was and should be recognized as a national abolitionist leader and activist in the struggle against slavery in the United States.
Recognizing the week of December 25, 2023, as the "Week of the Fight Against Black Slavery in the Americas".
Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution
Recognizing that the United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the crime of enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.
Acknowledging that unborn children are legal and constitutional persons who are entitled to the equal protection of the laws.
Condemning the atrocities that occurred in 1811, in Louisiana, in which enslaved people revolted for freedom and were brutalized, terrorized, and killed in response, and reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives in combating hatred, injustice, and White supremacy.
Original Black History Month Resolution of 2023
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The commission must (1) compile documentary evidence of slavery in the United States; (2) study the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery; (3) analyze discriminatory laws and policies against freed African slaves and their descendants; and (4) recommend ways the United States may recognize and remedy the effects of slavery and discrimination on African Americans, including through a formal apology and compensation (i.e., reparations). The commission consists of individuals from civil society and reparations organizations and individuals appointed by the President and congressional leadership; Members of Congress and governmental employees may not serve on the commission. The commission may hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and records, and contract with other entities to conduct its work. The commission must submit its final report within 18 months of its first meeting.