US Federal House Bill HB4228

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/27/25
• Refer: 6/27/25

Caption

Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act

Summary

HB4228, titled the Original Justice for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa/Greenwood Race Massacre Act, would direct the federal government to provide monetary compensation to the remaining living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The bill’s findings describe the massacre as a coordinated act of racial terror that destroyed the Greenwood district of Tulsa, killed and displaced Black residents, and left long-standing economic and social harm that was never meaningfully remedied by local, state, or federal authorities. Under the bill, the Secretary of the Treasury would pay each eligible surviving victim $10,398,368 in compensatory damages and $10,398,368 in punitive damages, with payment made from the federal Judgment Fund. Eligibility would be certified by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights based on proof of identity, specifically a birth certificate, and no additional information could be required. The bill also states that payment would fully satisfy any claims against the United States for the harms described and would bar recipients from receiving additional federal compensation or benefits for those same harms.

Impact

The bill would create a one-time federal compensation mechanism for the few surviving victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre and would impose a final settlement of related claims against the United States. It would not amend state law directly, but it would establish a federal statutory entitlement, shift payment responsibility to the Treasury’s Judgment Fund, and assign a certification role to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The measure would also foreclose further federal claims or benefits for the covered harms once payment is made.

Sentiment

The bill is framed in strongly supportive and remedial terms, with the findings emphasizing historical injustice, the failure of governments to act, and the advanced age of the remaining survivors. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, but the bill’s sponsorship and language indicate a clear intent to provide long-delayed reparative justice. The overall sentiment reflected in the text is sympathetic to the survivors and urgent about the need for action.

Contention

The main points of contention are likely to center on federal responsibility, the use of taxpayer funds, and the legal basis for compensating harms arising from a century-old event. The bill explicitly grounds payment in the federal government’s alleged failure to prevent, investigate, prosecute, or litigate the massacre, which may raise questions about sovereign liability and precedent. Another possible point of dispute is the bill’s finality provision, which requires recipients to accept payment in full satisfaction of claims and bars additional federal compensation, potentially limiting broader reparative remedies.