State lawmakers across the U.S. are using the momentum from the George Floyd demonstrations to address racial inequities across a range of institutions, including education and health care. By adambeam FarnoushAmiri.
FILE - In this Oct. 30, 2019, file photo, Ohio State Sen. Sandra Williams speaks during an interview, in Columbus, Ohio. The killing of George Floyd has sparked broader discussions of race and discrimination in state legislatures across the country. Affirmative action, reparations and designating racism as a public health crisis are generating debate and a fair amount of controversy.
The efforts go beyond policing reforms to focus on systemic racism that has stubbornly pervaded public life for decades. They are prompting “very real conversations I didn’t think the country has ever really had because none of them are comfortable,” said Sydney Kamlager, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus in the California state Assembly.“If you’re just talking about police and you’re not looking at the rest of the spectrum, then you’re really not focused on change,” she said.
Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania also are trying to capitalize on the moment to address racial bias in the judicial system. In Massachusetts, a Democratic lawmaker wants to overhaul state education spending to funnel more money to schools with high numbers of minority students. And in Ohio, separate resolutions would declare racism a public health crisis.
Weber is the driving force behind another proposal that has received renewed attention — studying how California could offer reparations for slavery. The idea has been debated for decades, mostly at the federal level. Bills proposing a federal study have been in Congress since 1989 but have failed to pass.
In Massachusetts, state Rep. Russell Holmes said a priority will be finding an extra $1 billion over the next few years for struggling school systems.Ohio could go further by declaring racism a public health crisis. The Senate resolution had a hearing earlier this month and has three Republican co-sponsors. But the House resolution, which is cosponsored entirely by Democrats, has yet to have a hearing in the Republican-controlled chamber.
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