BOSTON—Beacon Hill Democrats are moving forward with a sweeping proposal that would require the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to issue a formal, statewide apology for slavery on behalf of every resident, placing millions of people under a single, government-authored statement delivered in their name.

The bill — H.1753, filed by Rep. Russell Holmes of Boston and State Senator Liz Miranda of Boston — would establish a new “Reparations Commission” with broad authority to examine slavery, its legacy, and what the state should do in response. Buried in the commission’s mandate is its most controversial directive: to design an official state apology for slavery issued “on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth.”

If enacted, Massachusetts would formally apologize in the name of all residents — an involuntary, collective declaration that does not allow individuals to opt out or decline to be represented.

The commission would also be responsible for mapping out what remedies or reparative actions the state should pursue. These could include symbolic acknowledgments, structural reforms, or financial proposals, along with determining who qualifies, how programs would work, and what long-term obligations the Commonwealth should take on.

But the forced statewide apology has quickly become the flashpoint.

The language requiring the Commonwealth to apologize “on behalf of the people” effectively assigns a single political and moral voice to millions of residents, regardless of whether they want the state speaking for them on this issue. The apology would not be personalized, voluntary, or reflective of individual beliefs — it would be a binding, government-issued statement delivered as though every Massachusetts resident endorsed it.

Supporters describe the apology as an important symbolic gesture acknowledging historical injustice. Skeptics question why the Legislature is prioritizing broad ideological pronouncements while the state faces chronic staffing shortages, a strained public-defender system, budget pressures, and failing schools.

Massachusetts abolished slavery in 1783, yet the bill argues that the legacy of slavery continues to shape economic and social disparities today — and gives the commission wide latitude to define what the state should do in response.

H.1753 is currently before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. If advanced, Massachusetts could become one of the first states in the nation to issue a formal apology for slavery in the name of its entire population, setting the stage for a larger debate over reparations, representation, and what the state can compel itself to say on behalf of millions.

For now, the proposal continues moving through Beacon Hill — and many residents are only just discovering that the Legislature is preparing to speak in their name.