Virginia commission would study Black land loss and possible relief

The bill would establish a commission to study Black land loss and recommend possible reforms and relief. The study would cover federal, state, and local laws and practices used to take Black-owned land, including land belonging to descendants of enslaved people. The commission would decide whether compensation or other relief is appropriate; the bill does not itself provide compensation.

The commission chair would report each year on the group's work. The chair would report the commission's interim work and activity to the General Assembly and governor. In its first year, the commission could use the House and Senate clerks' budgets if it lacks a separate appropriation and the Joint Rules Committee approves. In later years, no separate appropriation would end the chapter early. The chair would submit the summary by the first day of each regular General Assembly session. Without a separate appropriation in a later year, the chapter would expire on July 1 of that fiscal year; otherwise, it would expire July 1, 2029.