Georgia HB 367: Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission Act; enact

Bill Text

25LC 59 0070
House Bill 367
By: Representatives Holly of the 116
th
, Gilliard of the 162
nd
, Bazemore of the 69
th
, Clark of
the 108
th
, and Jackson of the 68
th
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
1
commissions  and  other  agencies,  so  as  to  create  the  Georgia  Equity  and  Fairness2
Commission; to provide for members and officers; to provide for meetings, quorum, and3
compensation; to provide for the commission's duties and powers; to provide for reporting;4
to provide a definition; to provide a short title; to provide legislative findings; to provide for5
automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other6
purposes.7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8
SECTION 1.9
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission10
Act."11
SECTION 2.12
The General Assembly finds and declares the following:13
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(1)  Millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the 13 American
14
colonies and the United States, including the Georgia colony and the State of Georgia,15
from 1619 through 1865;16
(2)  The institution of chattel slavery was constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned by17
the United States government from 1789 through 1865;18
(3)  The chattel slavery that flourished in Georgia and the United States constituted an19
immoral and inhumane deprivation of each African's life, liberty, African citizenship20
rights, and cultural heritage, and denied them the fruits of their own labor;21
(4)  A preponderance of scholarly, legal, community evidentiary documentation, and22
popular culture markers constitute the basis for inquiry into the ongoing effects of the23
institution  of  chattel  slavery  and  its  legacy  of  persistent  systemic  structures  of24
discrimination on the living descendants of chattel slavery and society in Georgia and the25
United States;26
(5)  Following the abolition of chattel slavery, governments at the federal, state, and local27
levels continued to perpetuate, condone, and often profit from practices that continued28
to brutalize and disadvantage the descendants of chattel slavery, including sharecropping,29
convict leasing, Jim Crow laws, redlining, unequal education, and disproportionate30
treatment at the hands of the criminal justice system; and31
(6)  As a result of historical and continued discrimination, the descendants of chattel32
slavery continue to suffer debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships,33
including having a high level of incarceration, a disproportionate unemployment rate, and34
an average of less than one-sixteenth of the wealth, a disparity which has worsened, not35
improved, over time.36
SECTION 3.37
Chapter 12 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to commissions38
and other agencies, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:39
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"ARTICLE 9
40
50-12-150.41
(a)  There is created the Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission for examining the42
impact  of  chattel  slavery  on  the  descendants  of  chattel  slavery  and  recommending43
appropriate remedies therefor.44
(b)  As used in this article, the term 'commission' means the Georgia Equity and Fairness45
Commission.46
(c)    The  commission  is  assigned  to  the  Department  of  Administrative  Services  for47
administrative purposes only as prescribed in Code Section 50-4-3.48
50-12-151.49
(a)  The commission shall be composed of 11 members who are citizens of this state and50
shall be appointed as follows:51
(1)  Three members appointed by the Governor, one of whom the Governor shall select52
as chairperson;53
(2)  Two members appointed by the President of the Senate;54
(3)  Two members appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;55
(4)  Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and56
(5)  Two members appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.57
(b)  Members of the commission shall be appointed from persons recommended by58
organizations concerned with the issues of civil rights; human rights; racial, social, and59
economic  justice  and  equality;  reparations;  and  other  issues  concerning  the60
African-American community.61
(c)  Members of the commission shall serve for the duration of the commission.  Any62
vacancy shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.63
(d)  The commission may elect officers, other than the chairperson, as it deems necessary.64
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50-12-152.
65
(a)  The commission may conduct meetings at such places and times as it deems necessary66
or convenient to enable it to fully and effectively exercise its powers, perform its duties,67
and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this article.  The commission shall hold68
meetings at the call of the chairperson.69
(b)    A