Maryland Reparations Commission: Members, Deadlines, and Funding

The Maryland Reparations Commission is a 23-member state body created by Senate Bill 587 to study how federal, state, and local policies from 1877 to 1965 contributed to racial economic disparities in Maryland and to recommend forms of redress. It became law on December 16, 2025, when the General Assembly overrode Governor Wes Moore’s veto. As of spring 2026, no members had been appointed and the commission had not begun its work.¹

How It Became Law

Senator C. Anthony Muse of Prince George’s County introduced SB 587 in January 2025, with Delegate Aletheia McCaskill sponsoring the cross-filed House version, HB 1422. The Legislative Black Caucus endorsed the bill, and it passed the Senate 32–13 on March 14, 2025, and the House 101–36 on April 2.²

Governor Moore vetoed the bill on May 16, 2025. In his veto letter he wrote, “I strongly believe now is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve.”³ Moore argued the scholarship on slavery’s legacy was already “vast in scope and robust in scale,” pointed to existing bodies such as the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and cited his administration’s own equity record, including over $816 million in procurement awards to Black-owned businesses, the pardon of 175,000 cannabis possession convictions, and a $1.34 billion funding level for historically Black colleges and universities.

The Legislative Black Caucus expressed “deep disappointment,” saying Moore, as the nation’s only sitting Black governor, had passed on a chance to show “bold” and “courageous” leadership. Senator Muse said he was “very disappointed that something like this, that Black communities across the country have been asking for, it’s turned down in our state.” Then-House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones called reconciliation of past injustices a “moral obligation.”⁴

Because the original margins exceeded the three-fifths threshold needed to override, legislators had the votes in reserve. Moore called the General Assembly back for a special session on December 16, 2025. After electing Joseline Peña-Melnyk as the new House Speaker, legislators overrode 18 of Moore’s 30 vetoes. The Senate voted 31–14 to override SB 587 after about 15 minutes of debate; the House followed 93–35 after roughly an hour.⁵ Senator Charles Sydnor III of Baltimore County, leading the Senate argument, called the commission a “durable, defensible roadmap for redress.” Moore said he disagreed with the overrides but respects the legislature’s constitutional authority.⁶

What the Commission Is Charged With Doing

The commission’s job is to examine federal, state, and local government policies from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 through 1965, assess how those policies contributed to today’s racial economic disparities, determine how institutions benefited from discriminatory practices, and recommend forms of reparation.⁷

The statute gives the commission a wide menu of possible recommendations. Under the bill’s text, remedies may include:

Official apologies for the state’s role in slavery and its aftermath
Monetary compensation to eligible individuals
Property tax rebates and down payment assistance for homebuyers
Business incentives and licensing or permit fee waivers
Social services, childcare support, and debt forgiveness
Tuition waivers at state institutions⁸

Nothing is binding. The commission produces recommendations; whether any of them become law or program is a separate decision for the General Assembly.

Delegate Caylin Young of Baltimore City, speaking in favor of the override, framed the record-building as an “act of constitutional defense,” arguing that an evidentiary record is necessary for equity programs to survive federal legal scrutiny. Delegate Lauren Arikan, a Harford County Republican, opposed the measure, calling the issue “incredibly divisive and harmful to our unity.”⁹

Who Sits on It

As enacted, the commission has 23 members: historians, advocates, elected officials, and business representatives. Several seats are designated for specific roles, including the state treasurer or a designee, a representative of the Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce, an attorney specializing in civil rights or constitutional law, and the state archivist or a representative. The governor appoints eight members, with the remainder appointed by legislative leaders.¹

Early in 2026, Senator Muse introduced SB 476 to restructure the body, expanding it to 28 members, shifting appointment power toward the Senate President and House Speaker, adding seats for faith leaders and a representative from the Maryland Commission for African American History and Culture, and pushing deadlines back by nearly two years. A scheduled hearing was postponed without explanation, and Muse withdrew the bill on March 16, 2026.¹⁰ The original 23-member structure remains in effect.

Deadlines and Current Status

Under the law as passed, the commission must deliver a preliminary report by January 1, 2027, and a final report by November 1, 2027.² Those dates are increasingly difficult to meet. As of late March 2026, not a single member had been appointed. The Governor’s Appointment Office and legislative sponsors were expected to begin soliciting volunteers after SB 476 was withdrawn. Delegate McCaskill acknowledged the commission has “a lot of work to do” and asked for patience.¹

Funding

The commission is a modestly funded study body, not a payment program. The fiscal estimate attached to the bill was $54,500 to hire one contractual archivist, with additional research support from Morgan State University. Allocated funding stands at $56,000.¹ No funds are set aside for payments to individuals, and the statute does not create any program a Marylander can apply to. Whether any remedy the commission eventually recommends gets funded is a question for a future legislature.

How This Differs From Baltimore’s Reparations Fund

Baltimore City’s reparations effort is a separate program and not part of the state commission. The city’s fiscal 2026 budget allocated $5 million from the Community Reinvestment and Repair Fund, which is fed by state cannabis tax revenue, to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights for a local reparations fund.¹¹ As of April 2026, no money has reached residents. The rollout stalled while the city awaited guidance from the state’s Office of Social Equity, and a dispute broke out between City Hall and the Baltimore Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission over whether the local body has independent authority over the money. Commissioner Khalilah M. Harris said the local commission did not authorize the roughly $5 million the city has directed toward administrative support, staffing, and outreach. Commission members have estimated the first funds will reach residents in early 2027.¹²

Where Maryland Fits Nationally

Maryland is the fourth state to establish a reparations commission, according to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.¹³ California’s task force, created by AB 3121 in 2020, delivered a 40-chapter final report in June 2023; Governor Gavin Newsom later signed legislation authorizing $6 million for California State University to study methods for confirming descendant status while vetoing other reparations bills.¹⁴ Evanston, Illinois, became the first U.S. city to implement a reparations plan for Black residents in 2021. At the federal level, H.R. 40 was reintroduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley in February 2025 and in the Senate by Cory Booker in January 2025, but is considered unlikely to advance in the current Congress.¹⁵

1
Maryland Matters. Advocates Could Begin Recruiting Appointees for Long-Awaited Reparations Commission Soon
2
Maryland General Assembly. SB0587 – State Government – Maryland Reparations Commission
3
Governor of Maryland. Governor Moore Veto Statement on SB 587
4
Maryland Matters. Moore to Veto Reparations Bill, One of a List of Measures He Will Reject
5
Maryland Matters. Legislature Overrides Moore’s Veto, Approves Creation of Reparations Commission
6
Washington Post. Maryland Special Session Ended With New House Speaker, Veto Overrides
7
Maryland Matters. After Months of Silence, Reparations Commission Is Back on the Agenda With Proposed Changes
8
Alameda County Reparations. Maryland to Study Slavery Reparations as Gov. Wes Moore’s Veto Is Blocked
9
The Daily Record. Maryland Override Moore Veto Reparations Climate Studies
10
Maryland General Assembly. SB0476 – State Government – Maryland Reparations Commission – Revisions
11
Fox Baltimore. Baltimore Reparations Fund Rollout Slowed Over Confusion With State
12
Baltimore Beat. Baltimore Has More Than $35 Million in Cannabis Reparations Money, but None of It Has Reached Residents
13
NAACP Legal Defense Fund. LDF Commends the Maryland Legislature’s Establishment of a Reparations Commission
14
California Attorney General. AB 3121 – Reparations Task Force Final Report
15
NBC News. Reparations Bill HR40 Returns to Congress