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Maryland
Maryland lawmakers approve commission to study slavery reparations
The votes were cast, the session was adjourned and Del. Aletheia McCaskill still was absorbing what had happened: Maryland lawmakers approved creating a commission to study reparations for slavery.
The bill’s passage on Wednesday night represented the culmination of years of work from McCaskill and other lawmakers who have been pushing for the state to open a discussion about whether and how to atone for the state’s legacy of supporting the enslavement of Black people and systematically denying their rights for generations after slavery ended.
“Right now, I am full of a lot of emotions,” McCaskill said as her colleagues emptied out of the House of Delegates chamber. “It’s beyond a bill passing. It’s about a healing.”
Helping Maryland become the third state in the nation to study reparations represented fulfilling her parents’ encouragement that she dream big, McCaskill said. “I dreamt it to happen,” she said.
But the bill’s path to passage was rocky, surviving attempts to weaken it and arguments from opponents that downplayed the effects of racism and slavery on Black Americans.
An hour of debate was at turns tense and emotional. The final vote was 101-36, and the “no” votes all came from Republicans, according to the unofficial tally.
The Senate already approved the bill, 32-13, and it will head to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk for his consideration.
The bill that passed is the version that began in the Senate sponsored by Sen. Anthony Muse, a Prince George’s County Democrat who partnered with McCaskill.
If the Democratic governor signs the bill into law, the state will set up a 23-member commission directed to “study and make recommendations relating to appropriate benefits to be offered to individuals impacted by historical inequality,” including slavery and post-slavery government policies through the Jim Crow era.
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While many view reparations as monetary payments, the bill directs the commission to consider a range of options that also includes official statements of apology and policy changes such as property tax rebates, tuition assistance and business incentives.
“Addressing these harms is not just about acknowledging history, but it is about creating a more equitable future,” Muse said when he presented the bill earlier in the session.
Some Republicans questioned the need for people today to address the sins of the past.
Del. Matt Morgan, chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said lawmakers have done nothing to address rising energy prices or public safety — yet they were considering reparations.
“When political parties are out of ideas, they resort to distractions. They resort to demonizing, and this is the bill we have here,” he said.
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Morgan complained that none of the members of the commission are required to be Republican and he predicted the bill would lead to a policy that would “tax one race and give it to another race.”
“Let’s call this bill out (for) what it is: It’s a commission to set up a reparation tax,” he said. “It is the year 2025. Are you kidding me? All in the name of equity. Equity is a Marxist term.”
Del. Brian Chisholm, an Anne Arundel County Republican, prefaced his remarks by acknowledging that slavery was “horrible” and “evil.”
But embarking on a path toward reparations, he said, isn’t the solution.
“So many people in this room are successful, regardless of your race, creed or color. I’ve never been Black. I know I have no clue what it’s like. I know you went through some hell,” he said. “I don’t think this is going to fix it. I think it’s going to make it worse.”
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At one point, Republican Del. Lauren Arikan of Harford County tried to change up the bill to require a commission to study how to compensate people who suffered child sexual abuse while in state care, such as juvenile detention or foster care — another issue that lawmakers are wrangling with. She said lawmakers should focus on that group of people who were victimized by the state and are alive today.
Del. C.T. Wilson stood to oppose the amendment as someone with “the distinct displeasure of fitting into both of these groups” — a Black man who survived child abuse. He said the two issues should not be conflated.
“The legacy of slavery isn’t something that happened 200 years ago. It happened in the ‘50s. It happened in the ‘60s,” said Wilson, a Charles County Democrat.
Several Black lawmakers offered a passionate case for studying reparations.
Del. Jamila Woods said she traces her ancestry to people from Ghana who were enslaved and brought to the United States — including Harriet Tubman, the famed abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor.
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Woods, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said in a fiery speech that her ancestors and the ancestors of others in the room suffered from “enslavement, racial discrimination, sexual violations, lynchings and more.”
“My family continues to be impacted today from the egregious actions of the past, the historical injustices that benefited some continue as some in this very room still enjoy — perhaps unintentionally — unearned, ongoing generational wealth and white privilege,” she said.
Del. Jazz Lewis, a Prince George’s Democrat, said the state will never fully erase the stain of slavery.
“But we can do, through this study, is we can shine a light on the dark corners of this history and give the specific descendants of that harm the dignity of being seen, acknowledged and repaired,” Lewis said.
For all the concern about taxpayers raised by opponents, Del. Stephanie Smith noted that those who have suffered from state-sanctioned discrimination were taxpayers, too.
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“I think we’ve forgotten that there were taxpayers in the late 1800s and early 1900s through the mid-20th century, who did not get the benefit of the taxes they paid,” the Baltimore Democrat said. “There were roads they paid for they could not drive down. There were schools they paid for they could not enter. There were colleges they paid for they could not gain admission to. And all the while, they paid taxes on wages that were unjust and unequal.”
The reparations commission, Smith said, is a way to start to acknowledge those people.
“They were taxpayers that never got what they invested in,” she said.
MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he plans to call a special session in Annapolis to redraw the state’s congressional district maps, reviving a contentious redistricting fight that stalled earlier this year.
“The status in Maryland is we are going to have a special session,” Moore said in an interview on CNN. Asked, “You are going to do it?” Moore replied, “We are going to do it.”
Moore told CNN the goal is for lawmakers to return to Annapolis and produce a new map. “Our House and our Senate will get together. They will come up with a resolution and bring it to my desk,” Moore said. “But the core criteria I’ve laid out is…doing nothing is not an option.”
It would be Moore’s second attempt at redistricting. Earlier this year, an advisory commission appointed by the governor proposed a map that would stretch the mostly Republican 1st Congressional District into largely Democratic Howard and Anne Arundel counties. The change would put Maryland’s only Republican member of Congress into a district with more Democratic voters.
The proposal drew sharp criticism during a hearing. “Governor Moore and Democrats in Annapolis, you are stealing our voice and our vote,” one speaker said. Moore responded, “It’s an important question of what’s the value of one vote and I think the answer to that is ‘what’s the value of democracy.’” Del. Kathy Szeliga said, “How can you ask us to trust democracy when you are taking it so lightly.”
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The measure passed in the House but never came to a vote in the Senate. In Annapolis today, Senate Democrats gathered to discuss what to do next.
“I think they’re meeting to figure out what can we do to make sure the judges don’t get involved and overturn what they’re trying to do,” said political analyst John Dedie.
A UMBC poll last year found only a fourth of Maryland voters considered redistricting a priority, with crime, education and health care viewed as more important.
Szeliga criticized Moore’s push, saying, “It’s unfortunate Wes Moore is doing the bidding of Democrats in Washington and not paying attention to the residents in the great state of Maryland.” Dedie said, “In many ways what he’s pursuing is future aspirations.”
Maryland’s last attempt to redraw congressional lines four years ago ended up in court, where a judge threw out the proposed maps, finding they were the product of “extreme partisan gerrymandering.” Szeliga, who successfully fought that court battle, said she is prepared to challenge another effort. “If they try to illegally change the constitution to make it unconstitutional we will challenge that,” she said.
Dediesaid a special session now appears likely. “The train has left the station. It’s just a matter of when it will arrive in Annapolis for special session,” he said.
One of the most unique ships featured in Sail250 Maryland and Airshow Baltimore can be found docked at the Baltimore Peninsula.
USS Marinette LCS25 is one of the most functional ships in the Navy fleet. At 370 feet long with 80 crew members, the ship has a helicopter landing pad and hangar, two rib boats in the belly of the vessel, and heavy artillery, including a cannon.
The ship has four engines, two of which are like jet engines, meaning it can sprint ahead of other vessels to intercept watercraft. It can also truck side to side and spin 360 degrees with controllable reversing and steering deflector buckets attached to the stern of the jet propulsion system. It can also traverse the littoral zones, water close to shore, and navigate waters as low as 15 feet deep.
“Where we shine is our ability to operate where other ships can’t,” said Cdr. Brian Sims, the ship’s executive officer. “For a 370-foot ship, one of the smallest in the fleet, it packs a punch. We can go 40 plus knots.”
The ship is used in counternarcotics missions primarily on the East Coast and in the Caribbean.
It is based in Jacksonville, Florida, but was built in Marinette, Wisconsin, which is where the ship gets its name. It began operating in 2023 and has yet to deploy. The ship can be out on the water for weeks or even months.
“We go out and find drug trafficking individuals and intercept, and the Coast Guard then takes over and arrests,” Sims said.
The pilot house is where the ship truly shines. An officer and junior officer monitor the radar and navigation, while another sailor sits at the helm and oversees steering the vessel and monitoring the engines.
“This is a very unique design for Navy ships,” Sims added.
The ship also hosts several heavy artillery pieces, including a cannon on the bow with different types of rounds to combat different threats. It can fire 220 rounds in a minute.
With its rich Naval history, Baltimore is playing host to some of the Navy’s finest, and the crews are equally as excited to be here in Maryland, the backbone of the Navy, celebrating 250 years of American history.
“Baltimore is a fantastic city, steeped in maritime tradition. Of course, we have Fort McHenry that we sailed past and rendered honors to when we arrived,” Sims said. “Having the ability to be in this role in this position on board this ship to celebrate the nation’s 250th, it’s an absolute honor, and one that, one that gives us all pause, and lets us reflect on where we’ve come as a nation.”
As Maryland families head into another hot summer, many are about to receive an unpleasant reminder of just how badly some state leaders failed to address Maryland’s growing energy problems this year.
Higher energy bills are not coming by accident. They are the predictable result of years of poor planning and a continued refusal by Democratic leadership in Annapolis to confront the real issue facing our state: Maryland does not produce enough electricity to meet its own growing energy needs.
Instead of seriously addressing that challenge during this year’s legislative session, Democratic leaders celebrated passage of the so-called Utility Relief Act (House Bill 1532), which offers Marylanders roughly $12 in savings per month. At a time when families are facing soaring energy costs driven by a massive shortage of reliable in-state power generation, that is not meaningful relief. It is a political talking point designed to avoid the larger conversation Maryland desperately needs to have.
Our state imports nearly half of the electricity it uses. Nearly half of the power keeping homes cool, businesses operating and communities functioning every day comes from outside our borders. Yet even as demand for electricity continues to rise, Maryland continues falling behind on building the reliable generation capacity needed to support our future.
That is not a serious long-term strategy.
Families across Maryland are already struggling with inflation, rising housing costs and economic uncertainty. Energy bills are becoming another major financial burden for working families, seniors and small businesses. But instead of focusing on increasing reliable power supply, meaning fully lowering consumer costs, and strengthening Maryland’s long-term energy security, Annapolis continues offering temporary fixes that fail to address the underlying problem.
The reality is simple: Maryland needs more power generation, and every responsible energy source should be part of the conversation. Natural gas, nuclear, renewables, battery storage, clean coal and emerging technologies all have a role to play in creating a more reliable and affordable energy future for our state.
Maryland also needs a broader conversation about the role experienced infrastructure providers and utilities can play in strengthening reliability and supporting future generation needs. These are organizations that already manage the systems Marylanders depend on every day and understand the long-term planning required to maintain dependable service.
Reliable and affordable energy is not a partisan issue. It is a basic requirement for economic growth, business investment and everyday quality of life.
As summer begins and air conditioners start running around the clock, Maryland families will once again be reminded that energy policy decisions made in Annapolis have real world consequences.
Unfortunately, they are paying for those consequences every month.
Del. Jason Buckel is the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates and represents Allegany County in the Maryland General Assembly.
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