California state Senate passes 3 reparations bills after apologizing for slavery: ‘Debt that’s owed’

The California state Senate passed three reparations bills on Tuesday, advancing a broader legislative effort to provide restitution to descendants of slaves. The bills passed this week are part of more than a dozen reparations bills proposed by the California Legislative Black Caucus earlier this year, ABC7 reported. The bills “issue an apology to Black Californians for the state’s role in instituting slave laws and discriminatory practices since its founding,” the outlet wrote. The bills will now head to the California State Assembly for votes.  California introduced a package of reparations bills in January that would give property compensation and cash payouts to the descendants of slaves and other Black Californians. The assembly voted down previous bills on the issue, including one which would have provided homeownership aid and another which would have offered property tax relief for descendants of slaves, according to ABC7. BOSTON ACTIVISTS CALL FOR $15 BILLION IN REPARATIONS, SAYS THE CITY MUST ‘FULLY COMMIT TO WRITING CHECKS’ FILE – A crowd listens to speakers at a reparations rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco, on March 14, 2023.  (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) The SB 1403 bill passed in the state senate this week addresses the...