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Gov. Wes Moore (D) and his staff met regularly with lawmakers to discuss a bill creating a reparations study commission, and expressed concerns about the bill that the governor subsequently vetoed, his office insisted Monday.
And lawmakers鈥� claims that the administration was pursuing its own reparations plan that borrowed heavily from the later-vetoed bill are 鈥渋naccurate,鈥� a top aide to the governor said Monday.
The pushback came one day after a Baltimore Banner story quoted lawmakers who said their requests for input from the governor on the reparations bill were rebuffed, as he ultimately pursued his own proposal that had 鈥渁lmost the exact language鈥� from the lawmakers鈥� bill.
It also brought renewed pledges from lawmakers to override the governor鈥檚 veto of the bill as soon as the General Assembly meets again.
鈥淲e remain committed to working to ensure this critical step toward reparative justice is realized and implemented with the care, urgency, and depth it deserves by overriding the veto,鈥� said from the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.
The bill was a priority of the caucus, which said it had worked on the measure for more than a year. would have created a commission to study the effects of historic racism on Black residents, and make recommendations for 鈥渁ppropriate benefits鈥� for individuals whose ancestors were enslaved in Maryland or were impacted by 鈥渃ertain inequitable government policies.鈥�
The 23-member commission would have included various elected officials, researchers with an expertise in slavery, a member of the NAACP, historians, business leaders and members of the general public, among others. It was to consider potential benefits ranging from monetary awards to a public apology to debt forgiveness.
It passed both chambers of the legislature by overwhelming majorities on April 2.
In a decision that surprised many lawmakers, Moore vetoed the bill on May 16. Moore, currently the nation鈥檚 only Black governor, said in his that it was a 鈥渄ifficult decision鈥� but that 鈥渘ow is not the time for another study. Now is the time for continued action that delivers results for the people we serve .鈥�
But lawmakers and advocates involved in the reparations debate said the Moore administration was pursuing its own plan all along that would have done much the same as the bill, only under the governor鈥檚 name.
Del. Aletheia McCaskill (D-Baltimore County), a lead sponsor of the House version of the bill, told the Banner that in a meeting with the governor shortly before the bill passed, he presented her with a draft plan which contained 鈥渁lmost the exact language from her bill.鈥� She told the Banner that the packet she saw also included a proposed plan for the order鈥檚 media rollout that included a list of TV stations and media outlets, as well as a prepared script.
McCaskill did not respond to requests for comment Monday. But in a prepared statement, Moore鈥檚 chief of staff said 鈥渉er recollection of the event are inaccurate鈥� and the suggestion that documents were shared showing a press plan 鈥渁re lies.鈥�
鈥淭he governor vetoed this legislation, and the staff鈥檚 draft alternative differed from her proposal,鈥� said Fagan Harris, Moore鈥檚 chief of staff. 鈥淣o documents showing a press plan were shared, those are lies, and the governor highlighted his continued concerns about her legislation.鈥�
An aide to the governor refused Monday to share the administration鈥檚 alternative plan, saying the administration would not share what he called draft materials.
Harris also said Moore鈥檚 staff met consistently with legislators throughout the session and kept them apprised of where the governor stood on the issue.
鈥淭he governor himself met with many of the legislators that pushed this effort, and at numerous occasions the office expressed hesitancy with the proposed legislation 鈥� to say anything to the contrary is simply false,鈥� the statement said.
Harris鈥� statement went on to echo many of the points of Moore鈥檚 veto message, saying the governor wants direct action, not legislation that carries 鈥渁n unknown price tag鈥� for taxpayers. The governor continues to work with legislators, local leaders, and advocates to 鈥渃lose the racial wealth gap and right the historic injustices that have taken place in Maryland all while growing Maryland鈥檚 economy and ensuring the long-term fiscal stability of the state,鈥� Harris said.
Del. Jheanelle Wilkins (D-Montgomery), the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement Monday that the caucus deeply values its longstanding partnership with Moore, but that they have a 鈥渇undamental disagreement on the path forward鈥� on the issue of reparations.
Wilkins described the reparations commission created in the bill as 鈥渘ot a study of past harms, but a first-ever structured framework to determine how repair should be delivered, resourced, and implemented across generations.鈥�
鈥淭ogether, we must pursue bold, lasting policies that deliver justice and opportunity for Black Marylanders,鈥� she added.
Carl Snowden, convener of the Anne Arundel Caucus of African American Leaders, said that there鈥檚 鈥渘o one strategy鈥� to address reparations, but any path taken will require cooperation and communication among the state鈥檚 leaders.
The veto may have made that cooperation more difficult in the short term, Snowden said, but he is optimistic about the future. He said that ultimately, it鈥檚 not about a single person or single strategy, but rather the end goal.
The state鈥檚 leaders must embrace 鈥渦nity without uniformity鈥� to get there, he said.
