CHAPTER 316
http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/stagser/s1259/161/doc/2000ch316.doc

1 AN ACT concerning

2 Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration, and Impact of
3 Slavery's History and Legacy in Maryland

4 FOR the purpose of creating the Commission to Coordinate the Study,
5 Commemoration, and Impact of Slavery's History and Legacy in Maryland;
6 providing for the purposes of the Commission; providing for the membership of
7 the Commission and their appointment, terms, and compensation; providing for
8 the staffing of the Commission; requiring the members to be appointed on or
9 before a certain date; providing for the staggering of their terms; and generally
10 relating STRATEGIES AND ACTION PLANS to the Commission to Coordinate the Study, Commemoration, and
11 Impact of Slavery's History and Legacy in Maryland.

12 BY adding to
13 Article - State Government
14 Section 9-701 to be under the new subtitle "Subtitle 7. Commission to
15 Coordinate the Study, Commemoration, and Impact of Slavery's History
16 and Legacy in Maryland"
17 Annotated Code of Maryland
18 (1999 Replacement Volume)

19 Preamble

20 WHEREAS, Millions of Africans were forcibly brought into Maryland from the
21 17th through the 19th centuries and subjected to unparalleled suffering and death, in

2 SENATE BILL 854

1 order to provide the means for economic and social development for the lives of others
2 in the State; and

3 WHEREAS, The impact of this unparalleled suffering on those people and on
4 their African American descendants, as well as on the social development of
5 Maryland, generally remains inadequately researched and taught; and

6 WHEREAS, A mechanism is needed to network museums, cultural
7 organizations, cultural parks and centers, and private collections in order to support
8 the cataloging, preservation, and presentation of cultural resources relative to the
9 history and legacy of slavery in Maryland; and

10 WHEREAS, An entity is needed to work with grass roots organizations,
11 foundations, and government agencies in publicizing and seeking support for
12 initiatives relating to the history and legacy of slavery, with special attention to the
13 development of initiatives aimed at and benefitting Maryland youth; and

14 WHEREAS, The State needs to target OUTREACH AND INITIATIVES funding for the identification and
15 maintenance of library and archival resources relevant to the history and legacy of
16 slavery, in order to produce guides and maintain on-line databases of relevant
17 holdings, especially holdings not appropriately cataloged and documented; and

18 WHEREAS, There needs to be an aggressive, racially inclusive campaign in
19 Maryland to identify historical sites throughout the State that relate to the history
20 and legacy of slavery - including historically African American communities that
21 developed as a result of slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow practices - and to
22 monitor the preservation and development of those sites; and

23 WHEREAS, There needs to be an entity in Maryland that will keep the State
24 informed of how best to support programs and initiatives to commemorate the middle
25 passage, slavery, indentured servitude, and the underground railroad; and

26 WHEREAS, There needs to be an entity in Maryland that can keep the State
27 informed of the latest research on the lingering psychological, sociological, and
28 economic impacts of slavery and its legacy, including the impact on crime and crime
29 control; and

30 WHEREAS, There needs to be an entity in Maryland to work cooperatively
31 with private and public tourist agencies and organizations to oversee and monitor the
32 allocation of public resources to sites and undertakings relating to the history and
33 legacy of slavery in Maryland, and ensure that there is a fair allocation of resources
34 for African American businesses and institutions; now, therefore,

35 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
36 MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

3 SENATE BILL 854

1 Article - State Government

2 SUBTITLE 7. COMMISSION TO COORDINATE THE STUDY, COMMEMORATION, AND
3 IMPACT OF SLAVERY'S HISTORY AND LEGACY IN MARYLAND.

4 9-701.

5 (A) THERE IS A COMMISSION TO COORDINATE THE STUDY, COMMEMORATION,
6 AND IMPACT OF SLAVERY'S HISTORY AND LEGACY IN MARYLAND.

7 (B) THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION IS TO:

8 (1) NETWORK MUSEUMS, CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, CULTURAL
9 PARKS AND CENTERS, AND PRIVATE COLLECTIONS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE
10 CATALOGING, PRESERVATION, AND PRESENTATION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES
11 RELATIVE TO THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND;

12 (2) WORK WITH GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND
13 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN PUBLICIZING AND SEEKING SUPPORT FOR INITIATIVES
14 RELATING TO THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY, WITH SPECIAL ATTENTION TO
15 THE DEVELOPMENT OF INITIATIVES AIMED AT AND BENEFITTING MARYLAND
16 YOUTH;

17 (3) TARGET FUNDING FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
18 LIBRARY AND ARCHIVAL RESOURCES RELEVANT TO THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF
19 SLAVERY, IN ORDER TO PRODUCE GUIDES AND MAINTAIN ON-LINE DATABASES OF
20 RELEVANT HOLDINGS, ESPECIALLY HOLDINGS NOT APPROPRIATELY CATALOGED
21 AND DOCUMENTED;

22 (4) IDENTIFY HISTORICAL SITES THROUGHOUT THE STATE THAT
23 RELATE TO THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF SLAVERY AND MONITOR THE
24 PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE SITES;

25 (5) KEEP THE STATE INFORMED OF HOW BEST TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS
26 AND INITIATIVES TO COMMEMORATE THE MIDDLE PASSAGE, SLAVERY, INDENTURED
27 SERVITUDE, AND THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD;

28 (6) KEEP THE STATE INFORMED OF THE LATEST RESEARCH ON THE
29 LINGERING PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SLAVERY
30 AND ITS LEGACY, INCLUDING THE IMPACT ON CRIME AND CRIME CONTROL; AND

31 (7) WORK COOPERATIVELY WITH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC TOURIST
32 AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO OVERSEE AND MONITOR THE ALLOCATION OF
33 PUBLIC RESOURCES TO SITES AND UNDERTAKINGS RELATING TO THE HISTORY AND
34 LEGACY OF SLAVERY IN MARYLAND, AND ENSURE THAT THERE IS A FAIR
35 ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES AND
36 INSTITUTIONS.

37 (C) THE COMMISSION CONSISTS OF 11 MEMBERS.

4 SENATE BILL 854

1 (D) THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION INCLUDES:

2 (1) ONE MEMBER OF THE SENATE OF MARYLAND, APPOINTED BY THE
3 PRESIDENT;

4 (2) ONE MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES, APPOINTED BY THE
5 SPEAKER;

6 (3) THE STATE ARCHIVIST OR A DESIGNEE OF THE STATE ARCHIVIST;

7 (4) THE DIRECTOR OF THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST; AND

8 (5) THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS, APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR:

9 (I) TWO HISTORIANS WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT
10 MARYLAND HISTORY, AND PARTICULARLY ABOUT THE MIDDLE PASSAGE, SLAVERY,
11 RECONSTRUCTION, AND THE JIM CROW ERA;

12 (II) TWO ANTHROPOLOGISTS OR SOCIOLOGISTS WHO ARE
13 KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE AND SOCIETY;

14 (III) TWO REPRESENTATIVES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN
15 ORGANIZATIONS; AND

16 (IV) A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, WHO SHALL SERVE AS THE CHAIR
17 OF THE COMMISSION.

18 (E) (1) THE TERM OF AN APPOINTED MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION IS 4
19 YEARS.

20 (2) THE TERMS OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ARE
21 STAGGERED AS PROVIDED ON OCTOBER 1, 2000.

22 (3) AT THE END OF A TERM, A MEMBER CONTINUES TO SERVE UNTIL A
23 SUCCESSOR IS APPOINTED AND QUALIFIES.

24 (4) A MEMBER WHO IS APPOINTED AFTER A TERM HAS BEGUN SERVES
25 ONLY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TERM AND UNTIL A SUCCESSOR IS APPOINTED
26 AND QUALIFIES.

27 (F) A MEMBER OF THE COMMISSION:

28 (1) MAY NOT RECEIVE COMPENSATION AS A MEMBER OF THE
29 COMMISSION; BUT

30 (2) IS ENTITLED TO REIMBURSEMENT FOR EXPENSES UNDER THE
31 STANDARD STATE TRAVEL REGULATIONS, AS PROVIDED IN THE STATE BUDGET.

32 (G) THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST AND THE STATE ARCHIVES SHALL
33 PROVIDE FOR THE STAFFING OF THE COMMISSION.

5 SENATE BILL 854

1 SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the initial appointed
2 members of the Commission shall be appointed on or before October 1, 2000.

3 SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That the members of the
4 Commission appointed on or before October 1, 2000 shall be appointed to the
5 following terms:

6 (1) three, including the individual appointed to chair the Commission,
7 shall serve for 4 years;

8 (2) three shall serve for 3 years;

9 (3) three shall serve for 2 years; and

10 (4) two shall serve for 1 year.

11 SECTION 4. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect
12 July 1, 2000.