Maryland Democrats plan to override governor’s veto of reparations commission bill

Maryland Democrats are planning to override Gov. Wes Moore's veto of a bill that would establish a state reparations commission.

“We’re not done in getting this bill into a law. That is ultimately the goal, no matter what hurdles are in front of us,” Delegate Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), the sponsored of the House version of the bill.

The commission would study federal, state and local policies from 1877 to 1965 in the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras, which the legislation said led to "economic disparities based on race, including housing, segregation and discrimination, redlining, restrictive covenants, and tax policies.”

Moore wrote in his veto letter that “now is not the time for another study" even though he applauded the intent of the bill.

"Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve," he wrote.

Civil rights activists like David Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Collective, criticized the governor's veto.

“As the first Black governor of Maryland, Gov. Moore had an opportunity to lead with moral clarity, political courage, and historical awareness,” Johns said in a statement.