PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 82 · Passed Senate without amendment · Jun 18, 2009
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)
Acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Apologizes to African-Americans on behalf of the people of the United States for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws.
Expresses Congress's recommitment to the principle that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all people of the United States to work toward eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and discrimination from our society.
Declares that nothing in this resolution authorizes, supports, or serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States.
People & committees
Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA] · D–IA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Received in the House.
Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote. (text: CR S6761-6762)
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Voice Vote.(text: CR S6761-6762)
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S6761-6768)
Submitted in the Senate and ordered held at desk by unanimous consent. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6568-6569)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 2, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
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Analyze S.Con.Res.26 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.Con.Res.26 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.Con.Res.26 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.Con.Res.26 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.