§ 405-540 — African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission

(a) The African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission is hereby established within the Department of Central Management Services. (b) The Commission shall include the following members: (1) the Governor or his or her designee; (2) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (3) one member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate; (4) one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; (5) one member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; (6) three representatives of a national coalition that supports reparations for African Americans appointed by the Governor; and (7) ten members of the public appointed by the Governor, at least 8 of whom are African American descendants of slavery. (c) Appointment of members to the Commission shall be made within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, with the first meeting of the Commission to be held at a reasonable period of time thereafter. The Chairperson of the Commission shall be elected from among the members during the first meeting. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel expenses. The 10 members of the public appointed by the Governor shall be from diverse backgrounds, including businesspersons and persons without high school diplomas. (d) Administrative support and staffing for the Commission shall be provided by the Department of Central Management Services. Any State agency under the jurisdiction of the Governor shall provide testimony and documents as directed by the Department. (e) The Commission shall perform the following duties: (1) develop and implement measures to ensure equity, equality, and parity for African American descendants of slavery; (2) hold hearings to discuss the implementation of measures to ensure equity, equality, and parity for African American descendants of slavery; (3) educate the public on reparations for African American descendants of slavery; (4) report to the General Assembly information and findings regarding the work of the Commission under this Section and the feasibility of reparations for Illinois African American descendants of slavery, including any recommendations on the subject; and (5) discuss and perform actions regarding the following issues: (i) Preservation of African American neighborhoods and communities through investment in business development, home ownership, and affordable housing at the median income of each neighborhood, with a full range of housing services and strengthening of institutions, which shall include, without limitation, schools, parks, and community centers. (ii) Building and development of a Vocational Training Center for People of African Descent-Citizens, with satellite centers throughout the State, to address the racial disparity in the building trades and the de-skilling of African American labor through the historic discrimination in the building trade unions. The Center shall also have departments for legitimate activities in the informal economy and apprenticeship. (iii) Ensuring proportional economic representation in all State contracts, including reviews and recommendations for changes to the State procurement and contracting requirements and procedures with the express goal of increasing the number of African American vendors and contracts for services to an equitable level reflecting their population in the State. (iv) Creation and enforcement of an Illinois Slavery Era Disclosure Bill mandating that in addition to disclosure, an affidavit must be submitted entitled "Statement of Financial Reparations" that has been negotiated between the Commission established under this Section and a corporation or institution that disclosed ties to the enslavement or injury of people of African descent in the United States of America. (f) Beginning January 1, 2022, and for each year thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report regarding its actions and any information as required under this Section to the Governor and the General Assembly. The report of the Commission shall also be made available to the public on the Internet website of the Department of Central Management Services.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 101-657, Article 15, Section 15-5, eff. 3-23-21; 102-29, eff. 6-25-21.)