Former law, until July 1, 2023, established the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, with a Special Consideration for African Americans Who are Descendants of Persons Enslaved in the United States (Task Force) .
Former law required the Task Force, among other things, to 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 determine how an individual's status as a descendant would be confirmed. The bill would also 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, upon appropriation, 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 and to provide compensation in accordance with the division's determination. By imposing new duties on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would include findings and declarations relating to a gift of public funds.
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.

Statutes affected:
SB 518: 11041 GOV
02/19/25 - Introduced: 11041 GOV
04/07/25 - Amended Senate: 11041 GOV, 15002.5 GOV, 15002.5 GOV
04/10/25 - Amended Senate: 15002.5 GOV