I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5930 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2016 
Ms. WILSON of Florida (for herself, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. 
JEFFRIES, Ms. MOORE, Mr. CLAY, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 
Texas, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
CLEAVER, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. 
ADAMS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. CLARKE of New York, 
Mr. LEWIS, Ms. PLASKETT, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 
MEEKS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. 
LAWRENCE, Ms. BASS, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 
CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 
BEATTY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. SE-
WELL of Alabama, and Mr. MURPHY 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on the 
Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Black men and boys face disproportionate 
hardships that result in disparities in areas includ-
ing: education, criminal justice, health, employment, 
fatherhood, mentorship, and violence. These hard-
ships have negative consequences for national pro-
ductivity, especially for Black families and commu-
nities. 
(2) A Commission to study and examine issues 
which disproportionately have a negative impact on 
Black men and boys in America will signal that the 
issues facing the Black male population are a na-
tional priority, will develop solutions to these hard-
ships, and will help eliminate the obstacles facing 
Black men and boys. 
(3) A Commission will also be able to inves-
tigate potential civil rights violations affecting this 
population that attract national attention. 
(4) Black babies are three times more likely to 
be born in poverty and rapidly fall behind their 
White counterparts in cognitive development. 
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(5) By fourth grade, Black students are ex-
pected to be three years behind White male students. 
According to the Educational Testing Service Policy 
Informational Center, only 12 percent of Black 
eighth-grade male students are proficient in math, 
compared to 44 percent of White eighth-grade male 
students. 
(6) The Educational Testing Service Policy In-
formational Center also found that nationally, more 
than 50 percent of Black male students attending 
urban schools will drop out. 
(7) The low rate of high school retention among 
Black male students directly relates to high rates of 
joblessness and incarceration among this population. 
This barrier to employment exacerbates cycles of 
poverty, which in turn results in health inequalities, 
including higher levels of diabetes, obesity, and HIV/ 
AIDS. According to a study by the American Acad-
emy of Arts and Sciences, more than 66 percent of 
Black male dropouts are expected to serve time in 
State or Federal prison. 
(8) Black men are subjected to unequal 
profiling by the police and disproportionately harsh 
sentences in the judicial system. The Black male 
population is six times more likely to become incar-
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cerated than their White counterparts. Although the 
Black male population comprises approximately six 
percent of the United States population, of the 
2,300,000 people incarcerated nationwide, 1 million 
are Black males. Black males receive ten percent 
longer Federal sentences than White males who 
commit the same crime. 
(9) According to the Bureau of Statistics and 
the Pew Research Center, Black male unemployment 
is consistently almost double that of White male un-
employment. 
(10) Black fathers are more than twice as likely 
to live apart from their children as White fathers. 
(11) Young boys with male mentors are more 
likely to progress further in school and have greater 
financial success in life. 
SEC. 3. COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Commission on the So-
cial Status of Black Men and Boys (hereinafter in this 
Act referred to as ‘‘the Commission’’) is hereby estab-
lished within the United States Commission on Civil 
Rights Office of the Staff Director. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Commission shall consist of 
19 members appointed as follows: 
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(1) The Senate majority leader shall appoint 
one member who is not employed by the Federal 
Government and is an expert on issues affecting 
Black men and boys in America. 
(2) The Senate minority leader shall appoint 
one member who is not employed by the Federal 
Government and is an expert on issues affecting 
Black men and boys in America. 
(3) The House of Representatives majority 
leader shall appoint one member who is not em-
ployed by the Federal Government and is an expert 
on issues affecting Black men and boys in America. 
(4) The House of Representatives minority 
leader shall appoint one member who is not em-
ployed by the Federal Government and is an expert 
on issues affecting Black men and boys in America. 
(5) The Chair of the Congressional Black Cau-
cus (CBC) shall be a member of the Commission, as 
well as five additional Members of the CBC who ei-
ther sit on the following committees of relevant ju-
risdiction or who is an expert on issues affecting 
Black men and boys in America, including— 
(A) education; 
(B) justice and Civil Rights; 
(C) healthcare; 
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(D) labor and employment; and 
(E) housing. 
(6) The Staff Director from the United States 
Commission on Civil Rights shall appoint one mem-
ber from within the staff of the United States Com-
mission on Civil Rights who is an expert in issues 
relating to Black men and boys. 
(7) The Chair of the United States Equal Em-
ployment Opportunity Commission shall appoint one 
member from within the staff of the United States 
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission who is 
an expert in equal employment issues impacting 
Black men. 
(8) The Secretary of Education shall appoint 
one member from within the Department of Edu-
cation who is an expert in urban education. 
(9) The Attorney General of the Department of 
Justice shall appoint one member from within the 
Department of Justice who is an expert in racial dis-
parities with the criminal justice system. 
(10) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices shall appoint one member from within the De-
partment of Health and Human Services who is an 
expert in health issues facing Black men. 
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(11) The Secretary of the Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Development shall appoint one mem-
ber from within the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development who is an expert in housing and 
development in urban communities. 
(12) The Secretary of the Department of Labor 
shall appoint one member from within the Depart-
ment of Labor who is an expert in labor issues im-
pacting Black men. 
(13) The President of the United States shall 
appoint two members who are not employed by the 
Federal Government and are experts on issues af-
fecting Black men and boys in America. 
SEC. 4. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO APPOINTMENT; RE-
MOVAL. 
(a) TIMING OF INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Each ini-
tial appointment to the Commission shall be made no later 
than 90 days after the Commission is established. If any 
appointing authorities fail to appoint a member to the 
Commission, their appointment shall be filled by the 
United States Commission on Civil Rights. 
(b) TERMS.—Except as otherwise provided in this 
section, the term of a member of the Commission shall 
be four years. For the purpose of providing staggered 
terms, the first term of those members initially appointed 
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under paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 3 shall be 
appointed to two-year terms with all other terms lasting 
four years. Members are eligible for consecutive reappoint-
ment. 
(c) REMOVAL.—A member of the Commission may 
be removed from the Commission at any time by the ap-
pointing authority should the member fail to meet Com-
mission responsibilities. Once the seat becomes vacant, the 
appointing authority is responsible for filling the vacancy 
in the Commission before the next meeting. 
(d) VACANCIES.—The appointing authority of a 
member of the Commission shall either reappoint that 
member at the end of that member’s term or appoint an-
other person meeting the qualifications for that appoint-
ment. In the event of a vacancy arising during a term, 
the appointing authority shall, before the next meeting of 
the Commission, appoint a replacement to finish that 
term. 
SEC. 5. LEADERSHIP ELECTION. 
At the first meeting of the Commission each year, 
the members shall elect a Chair and a Secretary. A va-
cancy in the Chair or Secretary shall be filled by vote of 
the remaining members. The Chair and Secretary are eli-
gible for consecutive reappointment. 
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SEC. 6. COMMISSION DUTIES AND POWERS. 
(a) STUDY.—The Commission shall make a system-
atic study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys, 
including, but not limited to, homicide rates, arrest and 
incarceration 
rates, 
poverty, 
violence, 
fatherhood, 
mentorship, drug abuse, death rates, disparate income and 
wealth levels, school performance in all grade levels includ-
ing postsecondary levels and college, and health issues. 
The Commission shall also document trends under the 
above topics and report on the community impacts of rel-
evant government programs within the scope of the above 
topics. All reports shall be made public via a Federal agen-
cy website. 
(b) PROPOSAL
OF MEASURES.—The Commission 
shall propose measures to alleviate and remedy the under-
lying causes of the conditions described in the subsection 
(a), which may include recommendations of changes to the 
law, recommendations for how to implement related poli-
cies, and recommendations for how to create, develop, or 
improve upon government programs. 
(c) SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS.—The Commis-
sion shall accept suggestions or comments pertinent to the 
applicable issues from members of Congress, governmental 
agencies, public and private organizations, and private 
citizens. 
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