Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Friday vetoed a bill requiring a study of reparations for the lingering effects of slavery and state-sanctioned discrimination, pledging he’ll move forward with his own proposals.
“Together, we must take urgent action to address the barriers that have walled off Black families in Maryland from work, wages, and wealth for generations,” Moore, a Democrat, wrote to top lawmakers in his veto message. It was one of several bills Moore vetoed Friday, about 10 days ahead of a deadline to act on thousands of bills that were approved by lawmakers this year.
Moore wrote that next year he’ll work with lawmakers to introduce “a package of policies” to address those goals. Earlier in the day, delivering a graduation address at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore — a historically black university — Moore said he would make an announcement about closing the racial wealth gap on this year’s Juneteenth holiday.
The bill creating a commission to study reparations was a top priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, a long-fought issue that brought one of the measure’s sponsors to tears when it passed.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
The Black Caucus quickly issued a statement expressing disappointment with Moore’s veto and noting that lawmakers can have the final say and override the veto when they’re next in session. The bill passed both the House of Delegates and the state Senate by veto-proof margins.
“Governor Moore had a chance to show the country and the world that here in Maryland we boldly and courageously recognize our painful history and the urgent need to address it,” the Black Caucus statement read. “Instead, the State’s first Black governor chose to block this historic legislation that would have moved the state toward directly repairing the harm of enslavement.”
Moore not only is Maryland’s first Black governor, he is currently the only Black governor in the nation.
The bill would have set up a 23-member commission directed to “study and make recommendations relating to appropriate benefits to be offered to individuals impacted by historical inequality,” including slavery and post-slavery government policies through the Jim Crow era.
Although many view reparations as monetary payments, the bill directed the commission to consider a range of options also including official statements of apology and policy changes such as property tax rebates, tuition assistance and business incentives.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
The commission’s first set of recommendations would have been due in 2027, and the cost to the state is estimated to be $54,500 to hire a part-time employee to support the commission.
Moore’s veto and the Black Caucus response represent a rare public policy disagreement between the governor and the Democratic-led legislature.
The Black Caucus said the reparations commission would ensure the state moves forward on comprehensive reforms and actions.
“While unilateral executive orders and piecemeal legislation addressing disparities can contribute to progress, they cannot substitute meaningful, sustained and comprehensive efforts commissioned in this bill to address reparations and repair,” the statement said.
Moore vetoed several other bills, including measures addressing energy issues. He also vetoed bills that expanded the scope of some state agencies and others that required reports and studies that he said are unnecessary.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Energy and policy vetoes
Some of the vetoed bills went beyond the core priorities of government and would cost money, Moore wrote in one of his veto letters. He noted the state’s tight fiscal situation and concerns about actions from President Donald Trump that could further harm the state.
Earlier in the week, one of the major credit rating agencies downgraded the state’s bond rating for the first time in more than 50 years. Moore laid the blame on Trump, though the rating agency had warned a year ago that the state’s long-term finances were becoming more precarious.
“In a time of profound uncertainty, we must use our limited funds to prioritize policies that protect our people from the ravages of Washington; anything that fails to meet that high bar must wait for another time,” Moore wrote.
Moore also put his veto pen to work on energy legislation and funding.
He vetoed legislation known as the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act, which would have created a new state office that would develop forecasts for Maryland’s energy needs and how those needs could be met.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Moore noted that the new office would cost $4.4 million in its first year of operation, and he believes it would have overlapped with other government agencies.
Moore also, for the first time, used his power to strike individual items out of the state’s budget. Maryland’s governor gained that authority starting in 2023 after voters approved changes to the state budget process.
Moore struck $500,000 from the state’s Strategic Energy Investment Fund that lawmakers wanted to use to study the economic costs of greenhouse gas emissions and $230,000 to add three employees at the Maryland State Department of Education to help school systems with cybersecurity.
Lawmakers response
Maryland’s delegates and senators have the ability to override the governor’s vetoes, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether they will gear up to do so.
The Democratic-led General Assembly regularly overrode vetoes from the prior governor, Republican Larry Hogan. But this is the first time they’re facing a decision on significant policy vetoes from Moore.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
The vetoes of the policy bills — including the reparations commission — could be overridden the next time lawmakers are in session. The General Assembly’s next scheduled session is in January, but there’s been discussion of whether lawmakers might need to head back to Annapolis before then if Congress cuts funding to the state, particularly for the Medicaid insurance program.
But Moore’s line-item vetoes on the budget set lawmakers on a quicker decision-making timeline. Under the state constitution, lawmakers have 30 days to take action on Moore’s budget decisions.
The General Assembly’s presiding officers didn’t immediately indicate what their next move will be.
“The Senate will closely evaluate each veto from the Governor’s Office and have more details on possible action in the near future,” David Schuhlein, spokesman for Senate President Bill Ferguson, said in a statement.
House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne A. Jones issued a statement on the reparations commission veto that underscored her long tenure of work toward equity, including fighting for sufficient funding for historically Black colleges and universities.
“I am proud of all our work during the 2025 Session and grateful to lead a state that has always put these issues at the forefront of our policy discussions,” Jones said. “The work is not done, and I remain committed to working alongside all our partners to continue righting historical inequities.”
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.