By Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) has introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 2599, legislation that seeks to uncover historical and modern-day links between specific industries and the practice of slavery through mandatory self-reporting.
Titled “Slavery: Corporate Disclosures,” the bill requires specific companies—including textile, tobacco, railroad, shipping, financial, and insurance firms—to submit affidavits declaring whether they or their related entities facilitated or profited from slavery.
When asked by California Black Media (CBM) to clarify the specifics of the bill before the Legislature recessed, Bryan declined to comment but indicated he would address the matter at a later time.
AB 2599 will be heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee in mid- to late April.
“We’ll talk about it after the hearing,” Bryan told CBM on March 24.
According to the bill’s language, particular provisions of AB 2599 would require companies in key industries to search their records and submit an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, verifying if they or their related entities bought or sold enslaved people, used them as collateral, or provided financing and insurance for such transactions.
