Campaign · Federal

Bring H.R. 40 to a House Floor Vote

H.R. 40 would create a federal commission to study and develop reparation proposals for descendants of American slavery. It has been introduced in Congress after Congress since 1989 — and has never received a vote on the House floor.

Official portrait of Representative John Conyers Jr., 113th Congress — Rep. John Conyers Jr., who first introduced H.R. 40 in 1989; official 113th Congress portrait, 2013. Photo: United States Congress.Public domain in the United States per Wikimedia Commons; likeness rights may limit commercial use. Resized and converted to WebP; original framing retained.Photo credits & permissions

First introduced: 1989, by Rep. John Conyers Jr.
Furthest step: Approved by the House Judiciary Committee, April 2021
House floor votes: None

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Three things you can do this week

Call your representative
Ask whether they co-sponsor H.R. 40 and whether they will publicly request a floor vote this session.
Get it in writing
Request a written position. A co-sponsorship is a signature, not a vote — ask what they will do to move it.
Track the bill
Follow the bill's status, actions and co-sponsors in our federal tracker, updated daily from Congress.gov.

Use this call or email script

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readers report they've called or emailed

I am a constituent in [district]. I am calling to ask whether [Representative] co-sponsors H.R. 40, the commission to study and develop reparation proposals for descendants of American slavery, and whether they will publicly call for a House floor vote this session. Please send me a written answer.

Who do I call?H.R. 40 on Congress.gov ↗