Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1050 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2019 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1050
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Liz Miranda, (BY REQUEST)
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act creating reparations for the descendants of American slavery and piloting universal basic
13	13	income.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Colomba Sofia Klenner Valencia 1 of 3
17	17	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2019 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
18	18	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1050
19	19	By Ms. Miranda (by request), a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1050) of Colomba
20	20	Sofia Klenner Valencia for legislation to create reparations for the descendants of American
21	21	slavery and piloting universal basic income. The Judiciary.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
25	25	(2023-2024)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act creating reparations for the descendants of American slavery and piloting universal basic
28	28	income.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts acknowledges and apologizes for its
32	32	2willful participation in the institution of slavery. Slavery was an official policy of the
33	33	3Massachusetts Bay Colony and the United States Government from 1619 through 1865 that
34	34	4constituted an immoral and inhumane deprivation of life, liberty, cultural heritage, and the fruits
35	35	5of their labor for nearly 4,000,000 Africans and tens of thousands of Indigenous people with on-
36	36	6going effects for their descendants and a legacy of persistent systemic structures of
37	37	7discrimination in the Commonwealth. Following abolition, governments at the Federal, State,
38	38	8and local level continued to perpetuate, condone and often profit from practices that continued to
39	39	9brutalize and disadvantage African Americans and Indigenous people, including share cropping,
40	40	10convict leasing, Jim Crow, redlining, unequal education, and disproportionate treatment at the
41	41	11hands of the criminal justice system. As a result of the historic and continued discrimination,
42	42	12African Americans and Indigenous people continue to suffer debilitating economic, educational, 2 of 3
43	43	13and health hardships including but not limited to having nearly 1,000,000 Black people
44	44	14incarcerated; an unemployment rate more than twice the current White unemployment rate; and
45	45	15an average of less than 1⁄16 of the wealth of White families, a disparity which has worsened, not
46	46	16improved over time. Direct financial reparations represent one critically necessary step of many
47	47	17that must be taken to correct the legacy of this institution.
48	48	18 SECTION 2. An excise tax is hereby imposed on each specified applicable educational
49	49	19institution for the taxable year a tax equal to 3 percent of the aggregate fair market value of the
50	50	20assets of the institution at the end of the preceding taxable year. The term “specified applicable
51	51	21educational institution” means any applicable educational institution, other than an institution
52	52	22which is religious in nature, the aggregate fair market value of the assets of which at the end of
53	53	23the preceding taxable year (other than those assets which are used directly in carrying out the
54	54	24institution’s exempt purpose) is at least $1,500,000,000. For assets, the rules of section 4968(d)
55	55	25of the Internal Revenue Code shall apply.
56	56	26 SECTION 3. There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a
57	57	27separate fund, to be known as the Reparations for Descendants of American Slavery Fund. The
58	58	28Reparations for Descendants of American Slavery Fund, subject to appropriation, shall consist of
59	59	29all monies received on account of the commonwealth as a result of revenue generated by the
60	60	30excise tax imposed by section 1.
61	61	31 SECTION 4. There shall be a Reparations for Descendants of American Slavery Fund
62	62	32board consisting of individuals from and with experience advocating on behalf of descendants of
63	63	33American slavery. The board shall be comprised entirely of descendants of American slavery and
64	64	34shall consist of: 1 person appointed by the governor with a background in budgeting and 3 of 3
65	65	35administrative operations, who shall serve as chair; 2 persons appointed by the treasurer and
66	66	36receiver-general with a background in public finance; 2 person appointed by the attorney general
67	67	37with relevant experience; 1 person appointed by the senate president with relevant experience;
68	68	38and 1 person appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives with relevant experience.
69	69	39Board members shall serve 2-year terms; provided, however, that at the end of a term a board
70	70	40member may be reappointed once by their appointing authority; provided further, that any
71	71	41absence in a seat on the board shall be filled by the appropriate appointing authority within 60
72	72	42days. The appointing authority may remove a board member who was appointed by that
73	73	43appointing authority for cause. Before removal, the board member shall be provided with a
74	74	44written statement of the reason for removal and an opportunity to be heard. The board shall
75	75	45promulgate regulations for the Reparations for Descendants of American Slavery Fund to
76	76	46distribute monthly and direct monetary reparations to the descendants of African and Indigenous
77	77	47slaves and other individuals at the discretion of the Descendants of American Slavery board,
78	78	48coordinate with state agencies to create practical processes to achieve this end with limited
79	79	49administrative overhead costs, and collecting data on these processes to inform efforts to create a
80	80	50universal basic income. Board members may, at the discretion of the secretary of housing and
81	81	51economic development, receive stipends in compensation for their time and service under section
82	82	524 of chapter 7. Board members may be employed by another business that does not conflict with
83	83	53the duties of their office.