,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of    
,,representatives  ,january #c1 #bjac   
,mr4 ,conyers introduced the following  
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to acknowledge the fundamental         
injustice1 cruelty1 brutality1 and      
inhumanity of slavery in the ,united    
,states and the #ac ,american colonies  
between #afai and #ahfe and to establish
 a commission to examine the institution
 of slavery1 subsequently de jure and de
 facto racial and economic              
discrimination against                  
,african-,americans1 and the impact of  
these forces on living                  
,african-,americans1 to make            
recommendations to the ,congress on     
appropriate remedies1 and for other     
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,commission to      
,study ,reparation ,proposals for       
,african-,americans ,act4  #b4 ,findings
 and purpose  7a7 ,findings ,the        

,congress finds that--  7#a7            
approximately #d1jjj1jjj ,africans and  
their descendants were enslaved in the  
,united ,states and colonies that became
 the ,united ,states from #afai to      
#ahfe2  7#b7 the institution of slavery 
was constitutionally and statutorily    
sanctioned by the ,government of the    
,united ,states from #aghi through      
#ahfe2  7#c7 the slavery that flourished
 in the ,united ,states constituted an  
immoral and inhumane deprivation of     
,africans' life1 liberty1 ,african      
citizenship rights1 and cultural        
heritage1 and denied them the fruits of 
their own labor2 and  7#d7 sufficient   
inquiry has not been made into the      
effects of the institution of slavery on
 living ,african-,americans and society 
in the ,united ,states4  7b7 ,purpose   
,the purpose of this ,act is to         
establish a commission to--  7#a7       
examine the institution of slavery which
 existed from #afai through #ahfe within
 the ,united ,states and the colonies   

that became the ,united ,states1        
including the extent to which the       
,federal and ,state ,governments        
constitutionally and statutorily        
supported the institution of slavery2   
7#b7 examine de jure and de facto       
discrimination against freed slaves and 
their descendants from the end of the   
,civil ,war to the present1 including   
economic1 political1 and social         
discrimination2  7#c7 examine the       
lingering negative effects of the       
institution of slavery and the          
discrimination described in paragraph   
7#b7 on living ,african-,americans and  
on society in the ,united ,states2  7#d7
 recommend appropriate ways to educate  
the ,american public of the             
,commission's findings2  7#e7 recommend 
appropriate remedies in consideration of
 the ,commission's findings on the      
matters described in paragraphs 7#a7 and
 7#b72 and  7#f7 submit to the ,congress
 the results of such examination1       
together with such recommendations4  #c4

 ,establishment and duties  7a7         
,establishment ,there is established the
 ,commission to ,study ,reparation      
,proposals for ,african-,americans      
7hereinafter in this ,act referred to as
 the ,commission74  7b7 ,duties ,the    
,commission shall perform the following 
duties3  7#a7 ,examine the institution  
of slavery which existed within the     
,united ,states and the colonies that   
became the ,united ,states from #afai   
through #ahfe4 ,the ,commission's       
examination shall include an examination
 of--  7,a7 the capture and procurement 
of ,africans2  7,b7 the transport of    
,africans to the ,united ,states and the
 colonies that became the ,united       
,states for the purpose of enslavement1 
including their treatment during        
transport2  7,c7 the sale and           
acquisition of ,africans as chattel     
property in interstate and intrastate   
commerce2 and  7,d7 the treatment of    
,african slaves in the colonies and the 
,united ,states1 including the          

deprivation of their freedom1           
exploitation of their labor1 and        
destruction of their culture1 language1 
religion1 and families4  7#b7 ,examine  
the extent to which the ,federal and    
,state governments of the ,united       
,states supported the institution of    
slavery in constitutional and statutory 
provisions1 including the extent to     
which such governments prevented1       
opposed1 or restricted efforts of freed 
,african slaves to repatriate to their  
homeland4  7#c7 ,examine ,federal and   
,state laws that discriminated against  
freed ,african slaves and their         
descendants during the period between   
the end of the ,civil ,war and the      
present4  7#d7 ,examine other forms of  
discrimination in the public and private
 sectors against freed ,african slaves  
and their descendants during the period 
between the end of the ,civil ,war and  
the present4  7#e7 ,examine the         
lingering negative effects of the       
institution of slavery and the matters  

described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71     
7#c71 and 7#d7 on living                
,african-,americans and on society in   
the ,united ,states4  7#f7 ,recommend   
appropriate ways to educate the         
,american public of the ,commission's   
findings4  7#g7 ,recommend appropriate  
remedies in consideration of the        
,commission's findings on the matters   
described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71     
7#c71 and 7#d74 ,in making such         
recommendations1 the ,commission shall  
address among other issues1 the         
following questions3  7,a7 ,whether the 
,government of the ,united ,states      
should offer a formal apology on behalf 
of the people of the ,united ,states for
 the perpetration of gross human rights 
violations on ,african slaves and their 
descendants4  7,b7 ,whether             
,african-,americans still suffer from   
the lingering effects of the matters    
described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71     
7#c71 and 7#d74  7,c7 ,whether1 in      
consideration of the ,commission's      

findings1 any form of compensation to   
the descendants of ,african slaves is   
warranted4  7,d7 ,if the ,commission    
finds that such compensation is         
warranted1 what should be the amount of 
compensation1 what form of compensation 
should be awarded1 and who should be    
eligible for such compensation4  7c7    
,report to ,congress ,the ,commission   
shall submit a written report of its    
findings and recommendations to the     
,congress not later than the date which 
is one year after the date of the first 
meeting of the ,commission held pursuant
 to section #d7;c74  #d4 ,membership    
7a7 ,number and appointment  7#a7 ,the  
,commission shall be composed of #g     
members1 who shall be appointed1 within 
#ij days after the date of enactment of 
this ,act1 as follows3  7,a7 ,three     
members shall be appointed by the       
,president4  7,b7 ,three members shall  
be appointed by the ,speaker of the     
,house of ,representatives4  7,c7 ,one  
member shall be appointed by the        

,president pro tempore of the ,senate4  
7#b7 ,all members of the ,commission    
shall be persons who are especially     
qualified to serve on the ,commission by
 virtue of their education1 training1 or
 experience1 particularly in the field  
of ,african-,american studies4  7b7     
,terms ,the term of office for members  
shall be for the life of the            
,commission4 ,a vacancy in the          
,commission shall not affect the powers 
of the ,commission and shall be filled  
in the same manner in which the original
 appointment was made4  7c7 ,first      
meeting ,the ,president shall call the  
first meeting of the ,commission within 
#abj days after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act or within #cj    
days after the date on which legislation
 is enacted making appropriations to    
carry out this ,act1 whichever date is  
later4  7d7 ,quorum ,four members of the
 ,commission shall constitute a quorum1 
but a lesser number may hold hearings4  
7e7 ,chair and ,vice ,chair ,the        

,commission shall elect a ,chair and    
,vice ,chair from among its members4    
,the term of office of each shall be for
 the life of the ,commission4  7f7      
,compensation  7#a7 ,except as provided 
in paragraph 7#b71 each member of the   
,commission shall receive compensation  
at the daily equivalent of the annual   
rate of basic pay payable for ,,gs-#ah  
of the ,general ,schedule under section 
#eccb of title #e1 ,united ,states      
,code1 for each day1 including travel   
time1 during which he or she is engaged 
in the actual performance of duties     
vested in the ,commission4  7#b7 ,a     
member of the ,commission who is a      
full-time officer or employee of the    
,united ,states or a ,member of         
,congress shall receive no additional   
pay1 allowances1 or benefits by reason  
of his or her service to the            
,commission4  7#c7 ,all members of the  
,commission shall be reimbursed for     
travel1 subsistence1 and other necessary
 expenses incurred by them in the       

performance of their duties to the      
extent authorized by chapter #eg of     
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4  #e4   
,powers of the ,commission  7a7         
,hearings and sessions ,the ,commission 
may1 for the purpose of carrying out the
 provisions of this ,act1 hold such     
hearings and sit and act at such times  
and at such places in the ,united       
,states1 and request the attendance and 
testimony of such witnesses and the     
production of such books1 records1      
correspondence1 memoranda1 papers1 and  
documents1 as the ,commission considers 
appropriate4 ,the ,commission may       
request the ,attorney ,general to invoke
 the aid of an appropriate ,united      
,states district court to require1 by   
subpoena or otherwise1 such attendance1 
testimony1 or production4  7b7 ,powers  
of subcommittees and members ,any       
subcommittee or member of the           
,commission may1 if authorized by the   
,commission1 take any action which the  
,commission is authorized to take by    

this section4  7c7 ,obtaining official  
data ,the ,commission may acquire       
directly from the head of any           
department1 agency1 or instrumentality  
of the executive branch of the          
,government1 available information which
 the ,commission considers useful in the
 discharge of its duties4 ,all          
departments1 agencies1 and              
instrumentalities of the executive      
branch of the ,government shall         
cooperate with the ,commission with     
respect to such information and shall   
furnish all information requested by the
 ,commission to the extent permitted by 
law4  #f4 ,administrative provisions    
7a7 ,staff ,the ,commission may1 without
 regard to section #ecaa7;b7 of title   
#e1 ,united ,states ,code1 appoint and  
fix the compensation of such personnel  
as the ,commission considers            
appropriate4  7b7 ,applicability of     
certain civil service laws ,the staff of
 the ,commission may be appointed       
without regard to the provisions of     

title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1        
governing appointments in the           
competitive service1 and without regard 
to the provisions of chapter #ea and    
subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ec of such 
title relating to classification and    
,general ,schedule pay rates1 except    
that the compensation of any employee of
 the ,commission may not exceed a rate  
equal to the annual rate of basic pay   
payable for ,,gs-#ah of the ,general    
,schedule under section #eccb of title  
#e1 ,united ,states ,code4  7c7 ,experts
 and consultants ,the ,commission may   
procure the services of experts and     
consultants in accordance with the      
provisions of section #caji7;b7 of title
 #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 but at rates
 for individuals not to exceed the daily
 equivalent of the highest rate payable 
under section #eccb of such title4  7d7 
,administrative support services ,the   
,commission may enter into agreements   
with the ,administrator of ,general     
,services for procurement of financial  

and administrative services necessary   
for the discharge of the duties of the  
,commission4 ,payment for such services 
shall be made by reimbursement from     
funds of the ,commission in such amounts
 as may be agreed upon by the ,chairman 
of the ,commission and the              
,administrator4  7e7 ,contracts ,the    
,commission may--  7#a7 procure         
supplies1 services1 and property by     
contract in accordance with applicable  
laws and regulations and to the extent  
or in such amounts as are provided in   
appropriations ,acts2 and  7#b7 enter   
into contracts with departments1        
agencies1 and instrumentalities of the  
,federal ,government1 ,state agencies1  
and private firms1 institutions1 and    
agencies1 for the conduct of research or
 surveys1 the preparation of reports1   
and other activities necessary for the  
discharge of the duties of the          
,commission1 to the extent or in such   
amounts as are provided in              
appropriations ,acts4  #g4 ,termination 

,the ,commission shall terminate #ij    
days after the date on which the        
,commission submits its report to the   
,congress under section #c7;c74  #h4    
,authorization of appropriations ,to    
carry out the provisions of this ,act1  
there are authorized to be appropriated 
#h1jjj1jjj4