Reparations · State · MA

Massachusetts Bill to Establish Reparations Study Commission Redirected to Study Order

Why this rating

If enacted, a commission to study reparations in Massachusetts would create an official investigatory mechanism examining harms and potential remedies tied to slavery and its legacy, a meaningful (though not yet material/financial) step toward lineage-specific redress — hence direction +1, not the neutral score reserved for purely honorary measures. However, the source material does not confirm funding levels or subpoena power for the commission, which affects how substantive its eventual output could be; this is flagged for reviewer attention. On force, the bill has only reached the committee/hearing stage (hearing held 11/25/2025, committee report 11/26/2025) and was subsequently folded into a procedural 'study order' (H5281) rather than passed by either chamber — placing it at 0.25 (advanced in committee, hearing held) with no floor vote or enactment reflected in the record.

Summary

House Bill H1753, sponsored by Rep. Russell Holmes and Sen. Liz Miranda, would establish a special commission to study reparations in Massachusetts. The bill was referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in February 2025, with the Senate concurring the same day.

Sources

• Establishing a commission to study reparations in Massachusetts — bill text · primary · legiscan

Rated under the published impact rubric. Direction records what a measure would do if fully effective; force records how far it has actually travelled. Neither is inferred — both trace to the sources above. Think something here is wrong? Tell us and we will log the correction.

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