,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ajee  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #ad1       
#bjag,mr4 ,rush introduced the following
 bill2 which was referred to the        
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to acknowledge the fundamental         
injustice and the subsequent de jure and
 de facto racial and economic           
discrimination against those            
,african-,americans impacted by the ,war
 on ,drugs and the subsequent disparate 
and discriminatory mass incarceration1  
to determine the role that private      
corporations played in the prison       
industrial complex1 to determine the    
impact of these forces on their         
families1 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 ,family           
,reconstruction ,proposals for          
,african-,americans ,unjustly ,impacted 
by the ,war on ,drugs ,act of #bjag4    

#b4 ,establishment and duties  7a7      
,establishment ,there is established the
 ,commission to ,study ,family          
,reconstruction ,proposals for          
,african-,americans ,unjustly ,impacted 
by the ,war on ,drugs 7hereinafter in   
this ,act referred to as the            
,commission74  7b7 ,duties ,the         
,commission shall perform the following 
duties3 7#a7 ,examine the disparate     
incarceration and the institution of    
forced prison labor which has existed   
within the ,african-,american community 
in the ,united ,states since the        
ratification of ,amendment ,,xiii to the
 ,united ,states ,constitution on       
,december #f1 #ahfe4 ,the ,commission's 
examination shall include an examination
 of--  7,a7 the rates of arrest and     
imprisonment of ,african-,americans     
compared to the broader ,american public
 for drug crimes2  7,b7 the rates at    
which ,african-,americans were          
imprisoned for comparable crimes to     
non-,african-,americans2  7,c7 the rates

 at which ,african-,americans were      
imprisoned due to mandatory minimums and
 how these minimums differed from       
comparable charges2 and  7,d7 the       
financial and sociological impact of    
these conditions on ,african-,american  
prisoners and their families4  7#b7     
,examine the extent to which the        
,federal and ,state governments of the  
,united ,states have supported the mass 
incarceration of ,african-,americans1   
the extent to which such governments    
have profited1 both through cost-savings
 and direct revenue1 and the extent to  
which said revenue was used to reduce   
recidivism and encourage                
post-incarceration reintegration4  7#c7 
,examine the extent to which private    
corporations have supported the mass    
incarceration of ,african-,americans1   
the extent to which such corporations   
have profited1 both through cost-savings
 and direct revenue1 and the extent to  
which said revenue was used to reduce   
recidivism and encourage                

post-incarceration reintegration4  7#d7 
,examine ,federal and ,state laws that  
have discriminated against              
,african-,american prisoners and their  
families4  7#e7 ,examine other forms of 
discrimination in the public and private
 sectors against freed                  
,african-,american prisoners and their  
families4  7#f7 ,examine the lingering  
negative effects of the mass            
incarceration of ,african-,americans4   
7#g7 ,recommend appropriate ways to     
educate the ,american public of the     
,commission's findings4  7#h7 ,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 to 
the ,african-,american victims of the   

,war on ,drugs and their descendants4   
7,b7 ,whether ,african-,americans and   
the broader ,african-,american community
 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 victims of the ,war 
on ,drugs and their descendants 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 ,such report shall  
also be made available to the public via
 the ,commission's website4  #c4        

,membership  7a7 ,number and            
,appointment  7#a7 ,the ,commission     
shall be composed of #ae members1 who   
shall be appointed 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 ,three members  
shall be appointed by the ,president pro
 tempore of the ,senate4  7,d7 ,three   
members shall be appointed by the       
,minority ,leader of the ,house of      
,representatives4  7,e7 ,three members  
shall be appointed by the ,minority     
,leader 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 studies1 ,sociology1
 and_/or ,economics4  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   
,eight 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-#ae 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  #d4   
,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 ,federal ,government1 available  
information which the ,commission       
considers useful in the discharge of its
 duties4 ,all departments1 agencies1 and
 instrumentalities of the ,federal      

,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  #e4   
,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-#ae  

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  #f4 ,termination 
,the ,commission shall terminate #ij    
days after the date on which the        
,commission submits its report to the   
,congress under section #c7;c74 ,the    
,commission's report shall continue to  
be available via a publicly accessible  
website4  #g4 ,authorization of         
appropriations ,to carry out the        
provisions of this ,act1 there are      
authorized to be appropriated           

#aj1jjj1jjj4