What is HR 40? It’s the most important piece of reparations legislation in American history — and most people have never heard of it. If you care about reparations, racial justice, or Black economic equity, HR 40 is the bill you need to understand right now.
What HR 40 Actually Does
HR 40 — officially called the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act — does not write a check. What it does is establish a 13-member federal commission tasked with studying the full legacy of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States, from 1619 to the present, and then recommending concrete reparations proposals to Congress.
Think of it as the essential first step: you can’t fix a problem you haven’t officially studied. HR 40 forces the federal government to sit down, examine the damage, and come up with a plan.
Why Is It Called HR 40?
The name is intentional and symbolic. It references “40 acres and a mule” — the land promised to formerly enslaved Black people after the Civil War that was never delivered. Naming the bill HR 40 is a direct reminder that America made a promise it broke, and this legislation is part of the long fight to collect.reparations4slavery
The Bill’s History
HR 40 was first introduced in 1989 by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who reintroduced it every single year for nearly three decades. After his retirement, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee took over, and today Rep. Ayanna Pressley is the lead sponsor, reintroducing it in the 119th Congress in January 2025.pressley.house+2
Despite decades of advocacy, the bill has never passed into law — though it reached a historic milestone in 2021 when it cleared the House Judiciary Committee for the first time ever.hrw
What Would the Commission Study?
If HR 40 passes, the commission would be required to:reparations4slavery
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Examine slavery and racial discrimination in the U.S. from 1619 to today
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Identify the role of federal and state governments in building and maintaining slavery
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Study discrimination against freed slaves and their descendants in both public and private sectors
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Identify how slavery’s legacy continues to harm living Black Americans today
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Recommend official remedies and reparations actions to Congress
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Develop a formal apology from the United States government
What Reparations Could Look Like
Rep. Pressley has stated that reparations should go beyond just financial compensation — including “restitution, rehabilitation, acknowledgment of injustices, apologies, educational reform, and guarantees that such injustices won’t happen again”. The bill is modeled after the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which successfully provided redress to Japanese Americans wrongfully imprisoned during World War II.jacl+1
Where Does HR 40 Stand Right Now?
As of 2025–2026, HR 40 has been reintroduced in the 119th Congress and referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Momentum continues to build — ahead of Juneteenth 2025, Rep. Pressley reported growing support for the legislation. In March 2026, the United Nations formally expressed support for reparations, which Pressley cited as further momentum for the bill.trackbill+2
Why This Bill Matters for Reparations.now
HR 40 is not the finish line — it’s the starting gun. Passing this bill would be the first time the United States government officially commits to studying what it owes. Until HR 40 passes, reparations remain a conversation. After it passes, they become a legal process. That’s why the fight for HR 40 is the fight for reparations.
Stay connected to every update on HR 40 and the broader reparations movement at Reparations.now.