CA SB 518

Title: Descendants of enslaved persons: reparations.
Author: Akilah Weber Pierson

Summary
SB 518, as amended, Weber Pierson. Descendants of enslaved persons: reparations. Former law, Chapter 319 of the Statutes of 2020, until July 1, 2023, established a task force to, among other things, identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation. This bill would establish the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery within the Department of Justice, under the control of the director, who would be appointed by the Attorney General and confirmed by the Senate. The bill would require the bureau, as part of its duties, to verify an individual’s status as a descendant and would require proof of an individual’s descendant status to be a qualifying criterion for benefits authorized by the state for descendants. To accomplish these goals, the bill would require the bureau to be comprised of a Genealogy Division, a Property Reclamation Division, an Education and Outreach Division, and a Legal Affairs Division. The bill would impose various requirements on the bureau relating to the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal and genetic information, as specified. The bill would impose specified duties on the Property Reclamation Division to accept, review, and investigate applications, to determine whether an applicant is a dispossessed owner, and, if so, to determine whether and what type of property or just compensation is warranted, as defined and specified. In this regard, the bill would require a local entity, upon a determination that issuing property or just compensation is warranted, to recommend publicly held properties suitable as compensation. By imposing new duties on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.This bill would authorize the state or local entity that took the property to provide compensation in accordance with the division’s determination. If the state or local entity does not provide compensation, the bill would authorize a dispossessed owner to bring a claim for compensation and to assert any legal claim that would have been available to the property owner at the time of the taking.This bill would make implementation of its provisions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature, as specified.This bill would include findings and declarations relating to a gift of public funds.Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Status
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

Bill Documents
CA SB 518 - 06/16/25 - Amended Assembly

CA SB 518 - 05/23/25 - Amended Senate

CA SB 518 - 04/24/25 - Amended Senate

CA SB 518 - 04/10/25 - Amended Senate

CA SB 518 - 04/07/25 - Amended Senate

CA SB 518 - 02/19/25 - Introduced

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CA SB 518