A. The Commission shall have the power and duty to:
1. Identify and compile documentation of (i) the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and Virginia from 1619 through 1865; (ii) the role that the federal and state governments played in supporting the institution of slavery through constitutional and statutory provisions; (iii) federal and state laws that discriminated against formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who were deemed United States citizens from 1868 to the present; (iv) state-sanctioned efforts to deny equal rights to African Americans, including the Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and the campaign to avoid implementing public school integration in Virginia known as massive resistance; (v) other forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who were deemed United States citizens from 1868 to the present, including redlining, educational funding discrepancies, and predatory financial practices; and (vi) the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery.
2. Examine the pervasive institutional system of maintaining inequities in housing, employment, education, economic opportunities, generational wealth, voting rights, and criminal justice.
3. Recommend methods to promote educational awareness and identify ways to address the systematic and historical implications affecting the quality of life of a significant population of African American families in the Commonwealth.
4. Recommend appropriate ways to educate the public regarding the Commission's findings.
5. Submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual report for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports. The chairman shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work of the Commission no later than the first day of each regular session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted for publication as a report document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
B. The Commission may contract with consultants to assist in carrying out its duties under subsection A. Compensation for any consultant shall be payable from funds made available to the Commission.
2020, c. 1043, § 2.2-2548.