Legislation for reparations in Maryland has gained major momentum over the last few years. As far back as 2021, Maryland Legislators have put in legislation to advance reparations policy. Maryland established the Truth and Lynching Commission, the Community Repair and Reinvestment Fund in 2022,  Baltimore created the Community Reinvestment and Reparations Commission in 2023, and in 2025 the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus prioritized the Maryland Reparations Commission and successfully overrode Governor Moore’s veto in December 2025. In 2022 in College Park the Restorative Justice Commission was established. With all the work being done, Maryland is proving to be a hotbed of reparations activity. 

Maryland now has the opportunity to influence progression on a Federal level with HR 40. HR 40 is a bill that would establish a federal commission to study the issue of, and make recommendations for how to enact reparations in the US has struggled to advance at all in the legislative landscape. In 2021 this bill for the first time advanced out of congressional committee in 40 years. Democrats are prepared to take back control of the House and Jamie Raskin, Maryland Representative, is set to chair theJudiciary committee which HR 40 will be assigned to. Maryland has a unique opportunity now to urge Rep. Raskin to commit to passing HR 40 out of his committee. This then creates pressure for Hakeem Jeffries, expected upcoming Speaker of the House, to put HR 40 on the House floor. To support this effort to make sure HR 40 will move out of committee urge Congressman Raskin to publicly commit to moving HR 40 out of the Judiciary Committee within his first 90 days.