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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

“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 baseball’s offense stalled after briefly holding the lead Tuesday afternoon, while UMBC utilized a key late-inning output to seize control at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.

Despite several solid individual performances, the Terps couldn’t find their rhythm at the plate. Elijah Lambros and Aden Hill each showed flashed of promise, but were unable to string together consistent offense.

Maryland’s pitchers worked to keep the game close, with timely outs and strong defense preventing the Retrievers from pulling away early on. However, costly errors and missed chances at the plate gave UMBC the edge.

Ultimately, Maryland’s struggle to further capitalize on early opportunities cost it the game, 5-2.

The Terps have now lost consecutive games to UMBC (9-13) after defeating it in the precious 15 matchups.

Both teams remained scoreless through the first three innings, as they each had opportunities but failed to convert.

Maryland (14-15) starting pitcher Brayden Ryan worked around trouble in the first inning, escaping a bases-loaded jam after hitting two batters. In the bottom of the inning, UMBC’s Sergio Droz kept the Terps off the board early despite three Maryland runners reaching base.

UMBC struck first in the third inning, as Leewood Molessa singled up the middle to drive in a run, putting the Retrievers ahead, 1-0.

After three scoreless innings, Maryland broke through in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Jacob Orr roped a double to center field to put a runner in scoring position. Elijah Lambros followed it up with a two-run home run to left field, giving Maryland a 2-1 advantage.

However, Maryland’s lead was short-lived. UMBC capitalized on timely hitting and defensive miscues in the sixth inning. A pair of singles and a sacrifice fly tied the game at two.

The Terps had a chance to respond in the bottom of the seventh inning. They put two runners on base, but Aiden Hill struck out swinging to end the frame.

In the eighth inning, the Retrievers broke open the contest, as Derek Paris smashed a two-run homer down the left-field line to recapture the lead.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s bats fell silent in the final two innings, as UMBC’s bullpen shut the door, allowing just one base runner.

Molessa added one more insurance run for UMBC in the ninth inning to help secure a three-run win.

The Terps’ offense was limited to just five hits, compared to UMBC’s nine.

Three things to know

1. Pitching carousel. Both teams used five pitchers throughout the game, with Maryland deploying several arms in an attempt to keep UMBC’s offense in check. UMBC mixed in six pitchers effectively, making it difficult got the Terps to build any momentum.

2. Missed opportunities. The Terps left 10 runners on base, including three in the first inning and two in the fifth inning, failing to convert in key moments.

3. A rare streak breaker. Maryland’s loss to UMBC marks their second straight defeat to the Retrievers after winning the previous 15 matchups.