Sacramento, California - California State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan has said he plans to introduce a bill on Monday to give descendants of enslaved people priority admission in the University of California and California State University systems, building off the state task force's reparations recommendations.

Bryan, who represents parts of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press he would introduce the legislation as lawmakers convene for a special session called by Governor Gavin Newsom after Donald Trump's presidential election win.

"For decades universities gave preferential admission treatment to donors, and their family members, while others tied to legacies of harm were ignored and at times outright excluded," the assemblymember said to the outlet. "We have a moral responsibility to do all we can to right those wrongs."

Bryan's bill would follow Newsom's September decision to sign a formal apology for the state's role in enslavement and discrimination against Black residents.

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Other statewide reparations efforts have seen less success. Earlier this year, lawmakers blocked legislation to establish an agency to administer reparations initiatives, while Newsom vetoed a bill to restore property seized in race-based uses of eminent domain to the original owners or their descendants, or alternatively providing them with financial compensation.

On Election Day, California voters rejected a ballot measure to remove language from the state constitution allowing slavery ("involuntary servitude") in prisons.

Bryan told the Associated Press he was proposing his legislation, in part, in response to statements from Trump suggesting white students should receive reparations for the impacts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Republicans have introduced a slew of legislation aimed at undermining DEI initiatives, which seek to improve opportunities marginalized people and groups who have faced systemic hurdles to accessing education and employment.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court last year struck down race-conscious affirmative action in college and university admissions, while allowing legacy admissions – which disproportionately benefit white applicants – to continue.