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Annapolis, Maryland - Maryland Governor Wes Moore has vetoed a bill passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature to establish a commission.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore has vetoed a bill to create a state reparations commission. © Ting Shen / AFP

Included among the two dozen measures Moore vetoed Friday was , legislation aiming to establish a 23-member body to document and develop proposals to address the legacy of enslavement and racial discrimination in Maryland.

The potential reparations remedies listed in the text include official apologies, financial compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, down payment assistance for the purchase of homes, higher education tuition payment waivers and reimbursement, child care and debt forgiveness programs, and more.

The bill, which of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland this session, passed in the House 101-36 and in the Senate 32-13.

"I will always protect and defend the full history of African Americans in our state and country. But in light of the many important studies that have taken place on this issue over nearly three decades, now is the time to focus on the work itself: Narrowing the racial wealth gap, expanding homeownership, uplifting entrepreneurs of color, and closing the foundational disparities that Iead to inequality – from food insecurity to education," the nation's only Black governor said in his veto letter.

Moore's decision came just days after supporters of the reparations measure urging him to sign the bill.

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland responds to Governor Moore's veto Maryland Delegate Jheanelle K. Wilkins, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, speaks to the media during a press conference outlining the caucus' 2025 priorities. © IMAGO / Newscom World

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland – the largest of any state – has expressed deep disappointment in Moore's decision.

"At a time when the White House and Congress are actively targeting Black communities, dismantling diversity initiatives, and using harmful coded language, Governor Moore had a chance to show the country and the world that here in Maryland we boldly and courageously recognize our painful history and the urgent need to address it. Instead, the state's first Black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement," the group shared in a .

"While unilateral executive actions and piecemeal legislation addressing disparities can contribute to progress, they cannot substitute meaningful, sustained, and comprehensive efforts commissioned in this bill to address reparations and repair," the statement continued.

"We are elected leaders in the state that enslaved renowned abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, and we convene in a State House that is less than a mile from the Annapolis City Dock – one of the nation's earliest and most high-traffic ports of enslavement. We owe this bill to those who endured forced labor and all Black Marylanders impacted by enslavement, discrimination, and its long-term harm."

The caucus said the bill to override a veto. The legislature has already ended its regular session and will not take up veto overrides until lawmakers meet again.

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