SB-518 • 2026

Descendants of enslaved persons: reparations.

Budget Education Housing

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Weber Pierson
Last action: 2025-10-10
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 586, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details on how reparations will be distributed or the exact nature of the benefits authorized by the state.

Reparations for Descendants of Enslaved People

The law establishes a new bureau within California's Civil Rights Department to verify and support descendants of enslaved people in receiving reparations.

What This Bill Does

Establishes the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery inside the Civil Rights Department under control of the deputy director appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.
Requires the bureau to create a Genealogy Division to verify an individual’s status as a descendant of enslaved people.
Sets up two additional divisions within the bureau: Education and Outreach, and Legal Affairs.
Imposes requirements on the bureau for handling personal and genetic information securely.
Authorizes the bureau to receive funding from grants and other entities.

Who It Names or Affects

Descendants of enslaved people in California
The Civil Rights Department

Terms To Know

Genealogy Division: A part of the new bureau that verifies an individual’s status as a descendant of enslaved people.
Reparations: Money or other support given to help fix past wrongs, like slavery.

Limits and Unknowns

The law's implementation is contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature.
It does not specify how much money will be provided as reparations.

Bill History

2025-10-10 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 586, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-10 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-22 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
2025-09-10 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2837.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 60. Noes 17. Page 3064.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Assembly Rule 69(b)(1) suspended.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 4.) (August 29).
2025-07-16 California Legislative Information
July 16 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-07-03 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-02 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (July 1).
2025-06-19 California Legislative Information
June 24 hearing postponed by committee.
2025-06-16 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1402.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1203.) (May 23).
2025-05-16 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-05 California Legislative Information
May 5 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-04-29 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing May 5.
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 2. Page 835.) (April 22).
2025-04-10 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 22.
2025-04-07 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
2025-04-07 California Legislative Information
Withdrawn from committee.
2025-04-07 California Legislative Information
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O.
2025-03-20 California Legislative Information
March 25 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-03-17 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing March 25.
2025-02-26 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on G.O. and JUD.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 22.
2025-02-19 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 518, Weber Pierson.
Descendants of enslaved persons: reparations.
Former law, Chapter 319 of the Statutes of 2020, until July 1, 2023, established a task force to, among other things, identify, compile, and synthesize the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation of the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and the colonies, as specified, and to recommend the form of compensation that should be awarded, the instrumentalities through which it should be awarded, and who should be eligible for this compensation.
Existing law, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, establishes the Civil Rights Department and sets forth its powers and duties, including, among others, receiving, investigating, and prosecuting complaints alleging violations of civil rights, as specified.
This bill would establish the Bureau for
Descendants of American Slavery within the department, under the control of the deputy director, who would be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The bill would require the bureau to create a Genealogy Division, as specified, and to verify an individual’s status as a descendant and would require proof of an individual’s descendant status to be a qualifying criterion for benefits authorized by the state for descendants. The
bill would also require the bureau to create an Education and Outreach Division and a Legal Affairs Division. The bill would impose various requirements on the bureau relating to the collection, storage, and disclosure of personal and genetic information, as specified. The bill would authorize the bureau to receive moneys from any federal, state, or local grant and from any nongovernmental entity, as specified.
This bill would make implementation of its provisions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature, as specified.
This bill would include findings and declarations relating to a gift of public funds.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Current Bill Text

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