California Senate Panel Advances $100 Million Slavery Disclosure Bill to Floor

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 20

AB 2599 cleared the California Senate Appropriations Committee in August, sending the measure to the full Senate after it was moved through the chamber’s suspense-file process.
The bill would require companies doing business in California with more than $100 million in annual worldwide gross receipts to search historical records and file sworn disclosures of any ties to chattel slavery.
By Jan. 3, 2028, the California Civil Rights Department would have to build a public digital archive for those filings if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs the measure.
Assemblymember Isaac Bryan’s proposal is part of the Legislative Black Caucus’s reparations push, which also includes a bill to shield future reparations payments from state income taxes.
California’s broader reparations effort still faces major hurdles because direct cash payments lack clear consensus and Newsom has previously vetoed standalone payment measures over legal and fiscal concerns.