The D.C. Council has passed a reparations law this week, which would compensate Black Washingtonians whose descendants are slaves or who have been affected Jim Crow policies. However, Mayor Muriel Bowser is yet to say whether she supports the bill or not.

At a Thursday press conference for the Capital One Arena Renovation Project, Ms. Bowser stated that she would not commit to the bill until she had examined it. The bill asks for a study on how “eligible African Americans” could be repaid.

The proposal would see the nation’s capitol become the latest U.S. City to join a trend that has captured race activists and state legislatures with a left-leaning while confusing taxpayers.

The reparations movement has led to formal apologies, but not direct payments for Black Americans.

The D.C. Council unanimously passed the measure quietly and without discussion by the 13 members. The bill was among several that lawmakers passed prior to a two-week break for Christmas and New Year’s Day.

As he left downtown for the mayor’s press event, Kenyan McDuffie told The Washington Times he did not have time to talk about his proposal.

The measure, if signed into law by the President, would create a commission that would study the history of slavery in the District and other discriminatory practices that affected Black Americans living in the nation’s capital.

The commission would create reparation proposals and a payment fund for Black Americans.

The government would use a combination of appropriations from the budget and private donations to fund reparations. The proposal implies that reparations could be in the form of “payments of some sort” or other forms of redress.

The 15-page bill report, published last month, praised this flexibility, saying it “demonstrates a profound understanding that District’s reparation attempts must operate in the context of systemic racism for the District to truly progress towards racial equality.”

Any reparations proposal would have to be approved by a Republican-controlled Congress.

Congress used its power over the District of Columbia to repeal some left-wing laws. Last year, Republicans were the first to stop a revision of the D.C. Criminal Code that they deemed too lenient towards violent offenders.

The unpredictable political environment brought about by Donald Trump as president-elect is interfering in some of the District’s wishes list items.

Elon Musk is a billionaire technology magnate and close friend of Donald Trump. He also heads a commission that aims to reduce federal waste. Musk singled out a proposal for RFK Stadium in a federal budget bill, amid a flood of X comments criticizing “pork”. The 1,500-page document was criticized by a number of X users.

Ms. Bowser stated Thursday that the RFK campus proposal does not involve federal dollars, but gives control of the sprawling Campus to the District.

The president-elect’s advisers and himself would pay equal attention to a bill that calls for reparations.

It is possible that the legislation’s final name was chosen to be obscure.

The “Reparations Foundation Fund Act and Task Force Establishment Act 2023” was introduced.

The “Insurance Database Amendment Act of 2020” has been renamed.

After Minneapolis police officers were convicted of the 2020 death, George Floyd, an African-American man, they sparked a nationwide enthusiasm for reparations.

After the initial burst, energy waned as politicians’ responses to bold proposals were tepid.

California has made the most concrete efforts. In its current budget, California has allocated $12 million to “reparations costs.”

The state hasn’t approved direct cash payments for Black Californians, despite a report from 2023 that recommended reparations up to $1.2million to eligible residents.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a formal apology in the fall for the state’s role in “permitting the institution of slavery” but vetoed two reparations-affiliated bills.

The most significant measure was the one that allowed Black families to sue if they felt their property had been taken by the government because of its racially-motivated use of eminent realm. The veto angered ardent supporters.

The Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, in a CalMatters statement, said that the decision was “yet another example of politicians paying lip service to the concept of reparative justice but cowering before real reparative action.”

San Francisco is often seen as a bastion for liberal governance. This year, Mayor London Breed, who wanted to save money, cut funding from the committee.

Leftists praised the committee’s recommendations, which included $5 million in payouts for eligible Black adults. They also recommended eliminating debts and taxes for individuals and families, and allowing them to buy homes for $1.

The committee was disbanded in January and Ms. Breed, a Democrat from Massachusetts, stated that cash-based compensations should be handled by the federal government.

It can be difficult to turn reparations policy into a reality.

According to a Racial Equity Impact Analysis published last year, Evanston, Illinois and Providence, Rhode Island are two examples of cities that can receive reparations without paying cash directly.

Evanston offers grants of up to $25,000 for the purchase or repair of property or homes. About 15% of Evanston is Black.

Providence used leftover federal money from COVID-19 Relief Packages to implement policies of reparations.

To avoid lawsuits, money is given to programs that are often used by Black residents. However, the funds must not be racially biased. Around 13% of Providence’s population is Black.