In historic move, House panel votes to advance slavery reparations bill

Washington — A House panel advanced a decades-long effort to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves by approving legislation Wednesday that would create a commission to study the issue. It's the first time the House Judiciary Committee has acted on the legislation.

Still, prospects for final passage remain poor in such a closely divided Congress. The vote to advance the measure to the full House was 25-17, after a lengthy and often passionate debate that stretched late into the night. The legislation would establish a commission to examine slavery and discrimination in the United States from 1619 to the present. The commission would then recommend ways to educate Americans about its findings and appropriate remedies, including how the government would offer a formal apology and what form of compensation should be awarded.