Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1636 To establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, to study and make recommendations to address social problems affecting Black men and boys, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 7, 2019 Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, to study and make recommendations to address social problems affecting Black men and boys, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on the 4 Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 1636 IH (1) Black men and boys face disproportionate 1 hardships that result in disparities in areas includ- 2 ing: education, criminal justice, health, employment, 3 fatherhood, mentorship, and violence. These hard- 4 ships have negative consequences for national pro- 5 ductivity, especially for Black families and commu- 6 nities. 7 (2) A Commission to study and examine issues 8 which disproportionately have a negative impact on 9 Black men and boys in America will signal that the 10 issues facing the Black male population are a na- 11 tional priority, will develop solutions to these hard- 12 ships, and will help eliminate the obstacles facing 13 Black men and boys. 14 (3) A Commission will also be able to inves- 15 tigate potential civil rights violations affecting this 16 population that attract national attention. 17 (4) Black babies are three times more likely to 18 be born in poverty and rapidly fall behind their 19 White counterparts in cognitive development. 20 (5) By fourth grade, Black students are ex- 21 pected to be three years behind White male students. 22 According to the Educational Testing Service Policy 23 Informational Center, only 12 percent of Black 24 eighth-grade male students are proficient in math, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 1636 IH compared to 44 percent of White eighth-grade male 1 students. 2 (6) The Educational Testing Service Policy In- 3 formational Center also found that nationally, more 4 than 50 percent of Black male students attending 5 urban schools will drop out. 6 (7) The low rate of high school retention among 7 Black male students directly relates to high rates of 8 joblessness and incarceration among this population. 9 This barrier to employment exacerbates cycles of 10 poverty, which in turn results in health inequalities, 11 including higher levels of diabetes, obesity, and HIV/ 12 AIDS. According to a study by the American Acad- 13 emy of Arts and Sciences, more than 66 percent of 14 Black male dropouts are expected to serve time in 15 State or Federal prison. 16 (8) Black men are subjected to unequal 17 profiling by the police and disproportionately harsh 18 sentences in the judicial system. The Black male 19 population is six times more likely to become incar- 20 cerated than their White counterparts. Although the 21 Black male population comprises approximately six 22 percent of the United States population, of the 23 2,300,000 people incarcerated nationwide, 1 million 24 are Black males. Black males receive ten percent 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 1636 IH longer Federal sentences than White males who 1 commit the same crime. 2 (9) According to the Bureau of Statistics and 3 the Pew Research Center, Black male unemployment 4 is consistently almost double that of White male un- 5 employment. 6 (10) Black fathers are more than twice as likely 7 to live apart from their children as White fathers. 8 (11) Young boys with male mentors are more 9 likely to progress further in school and have greater 10 financial success in life. 11 SEC. 3. COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP. 12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Commission on the So- 13 cial Status of Black Men and Boys (hereinafter in this 14 Act referred to as ‘‘the Commission’’) is hereby estab- 15 lished within the United States Commission on Civil 16 Rights Office of the Staff Director. 17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall consist of 18 19 members appointed as follows: 19 (1) The Senate majority leader shall appoint 20 one member who is not employed by the Federal 21 Government and is an expert on issues affecting 22 Black men and boys in America. 23 (2) The Senate minority leader shall appoint 24 one member who is not employed by the Federal 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 1636 IH Government and is an expert on issues affecting 1 Black men and boys in America. 2 (3) The House of Representatives majority 3 leader shall appoint one member who is not em- 4 ployed by the Federal Government and is an expert 5 on issues affecting Black men and boys in America. 6 (4) The House of Representatives minority 7 leader shall appoint one member who is not em- 8 ployed by the Federal Government and is an expert 9 on issues affecting Black men and boys in America. 10 (5) The Chair of the Congressional Black Cau- 11 cus (CBC) shall be a member of the Commission, as 12 well as five additional Members of the CBC who ei- 13 ther sit on the following committees of relevant ju- 14 risdiction or who is an expert on issues affecting 15 Black men and boys in America, including— 16 (A) education; 17 (B) justice and Civil Rights; 18 (C) healthcare; 19 (D) labor and employment; and 20 (E) housing. 21 (6) The Staff Director from the United States 22 Commission on Civil Rights shall appoint one mem- 23 ber from within the staff of the United States Com- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 1636 IH mission on Civil Rights who is an expert in issues 1 relating to Black men and boys. 2 (7) The Chair of the United States Equal Em- 3 ployment Opportunity Commission shall appoint one 4 member from within the staff of the United States 5 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission who is 6 an expert in equal employment issues impacting 7 Black men. 8 (8) The Secretary of Education shall appoint 9 one member from within the Department of Edu- 10 cation who is an expert in urban education. 11 (9) The Attorney General of the Department of 12 Justice shall appoint one member from within the 13 Department of Justice who is an expert in racial dis- 14 parities with the criminal justice system. 15 (10) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv- 16 ices shall appoint one member from within the De- 17 partment of Health and Human Services who is an 18 expert in health issues facing Black men. 19 (11) The Secretary of the Department of Hous- 20 ing and Urban Development shall appoint one mem- 21 ber from within the Department of Housing and 22 Urban Development who is an expert in housing and 23 development in urban communities. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 1636 IH (12) The Secretary of the Department of Labor 1 shall appoint one member from within the Depart- 2 ment of Labor who is an expert in labor issues im- 3 pacting Black men. 4 (13) The President of the United States shall 5 appoint two members who are not employed by the 6 Federal Government and are experts on issues af- 7 fecting Black men and boys in America. 8 SEC. 4. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO APPOINTMENT; RE- 9 MOVAL. 10 (a) TIMING OF INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Each ini- 11 tial appointment to the Commission shall be made no later 12 than 90 days after the Commission is established. If any 13 appointing authorities fail to appoint a member to the 14 Commission, their appointment shall be filled by the 15 United States Commission on Civil Rights. 16 (b) TERMS.—Except as otherwise provided in this 17 section, the term of a member of the Commission shall 18 be four years. For the purpose of providing staggered 19 terms, the first term of those members initially appointed 20 under paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 3 shall be 21 appointed to two-year terms with all other terms lasting 22 four years. Members are eligible for consecutive reappoint- 23 ment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 1636 IH (c) REMOVAL.—A member of the Commission may 1 be removed from the Commission at any time by the ap- 2 pointing authority should the member fail to meet Com- 3 mission responsibilities. Once the seat becomes vacant, the 4 appointing authority is responsible for filling the vacancy 5 in the Commission before the next meeting. 6 (d) VACANCIES.—The appointing authority of a 7 member of the Commission shall either reappoint that 8 member at the end of that member’s term or appoint an- 9 other person meeting the qualifications for that appoint- 10 ment. In the event of a vacancy arising during a term, 11 the appointing authority shall, before the next meeting of 12 the Commission, appoint a replacement to finish that 13 term. 14 SEC. 5. LEADERSHIP ELECTION. 15 At the first meeting of the Commission each year, 16 the members shall elect a Chair and a Secretary. A va- 17 cancy in the Chair or Secretary shall be filled by vote of 18 the remaining members. The Chair and Secretary are eli- 19 gible for consecutive reappointment. 20 SEC. 6. COMMISSION DUTIES AND POWERS. 21 (a) STUDY.—The Commission shall make a system- 22 atic study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys, 23 including, but not limited to, homicide rates, arrest and 24 incarceration rates, poverty, violence, fatherhood, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 1636 IH mentorship, drug abuse, death rates, disparate income and 1 wealth levels, school performance in all grade levels includ- 2 ing postsecondary levels and college, and health issues. 3 The Commission shall also document trends under the 4 above topics and report on the community impacts of rel- 5 evant government programs within the scope of the above 6 topics. All reports shall be made public via a Federal agen- 7 cy website. 8 (b) PROPOSAL OF MEASURES.—The Commission 9 shall propose measures to alleviate and remedy the under- 10 lying causes of the conditions described in the subsection 11 (a), which may include recommendations of changes to the 12 law, recommendations for how to implement related poli- 13 cies, and recommendations for how to create, develop, or 14 improve upon government programs. 15 (c) SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS.—The Commis- 16 sion shall accept suggestions or comments pertinent to the 17 applicable issues from members of Congress, governmental 18 agencies, public and private organizations, and private 19 citizens. 20 (d) STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The 21 Office of the Staff Director of the United States Commis- 22 sion on Civil Rights shall provide staff and administrative 23 support to the Commission. All entities of the United 24 States Government shall provide information that is other- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 1636 IH wise a public record at the request of the Commission on 1 Black Men and Boys. 2 SEC. 7. COMMISSION MEETING REQUIREMENTS. 3 (a) FIRST MEETING.—The first meeting of the Com- 4 mission shall take place no later than 30 days after the 5 initial members are all appointed. Meetings shall be fo- 6 cused on significant issues impacting Black men and boys, 7 for the purpose of initiating research ideas and delegating 8 research tasks to Commission members to initiate the first 9 semiannual report. 10 (b) QUARTERLY MEETINGS.—The Commission shall 11 meet quarterly. In addition to all quarterly meetings, the 12 Commission shall meet at other times at the call of the 13 Chair or as determined by a majority of Commission mem- 14 bers. 15 (c) QUORUM; RULE FOR VOTING ON FINAL AC- 16 TIONS.—A majority of the members of the Commission 17 constitute a quorum, and an affirmative vote of a majority 18 of the members present is required for final action. 19 (d) EXPECTATIONS FOR ATTENDANCE BY MEM- 20 BERS.—Members are expected to attend all Commission 21 meetings. In the case of an absence, members are expected 22 to report to the Chair prior to the meeting and allowance 23 may be made for an absent member to participate re- 24 motely. Members will still be responsible for fulfilling prior 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1636.IH H1636 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 1636 IH commitments, regardless of attendance status. If a mem- 1 ber is absent twice in a given year, he or she will be re- 2 viewed by the Chair and appointing authority and further 3 action will be considered, including removal and replace- 4 ment on the Commission. 5 (e) MINUTES.—Minutes shall be taken at each meet- 6 ing by the Secretary, or in that individual’s absence, the 7 Chair shall select another Commission member to take 8 minutes during that absence. The Commission shall make 9 its minutes publicly available and accessible not later than 10 one week after each meeting. 11 SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORT GUIDELINES. 12 The Commission shall make an annual report, begin- 13 ning the year of the first Commission meeting. The report 14 shall address the current conditions affecting Black men 15 and boys and make recommendations to address these 16 issues. The report shall be submitted to the President, the 17 Congress, members of the President’s Cabinet, and the 18 chairs of the appropriate committees of jurisdiction. The 19 Commission shall make the report publicly available online 20 on a centralized Federal website. 21 SEC. 9. COMMISSION COMPENSATION. 22 Members of the Commission shall serve on the Com- 23 mission without compensation. 24 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:25 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\ [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]