Sacramento, California - Californians will vote on whether to close the "slavery loophole" in its constitution this November after a historic piece of legislation passed in the state Senate Thursday.

The End Slavery in California Act (ACA 8) aims to put an end to all forms of slavery, including the use of forced labor as criminal punishment – a practice that overwhelmingly affects Black people.

Having passed the state Assembly in a landslide last September, the bill was introduced at the end of January as part of a wide-ranging reparations package that deals with the enduring legacy of chattel slavery and white supremacy in California.

On Thursday, ACA 8 leapt the last hurdle ahead of going on the ballot in the November 5 election, with 33 out of 40 state senators out saying yes to the initiative. The Assembly voted unanimously to approve the Senate amendments.

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Civil rights groups and human rights organizations celebrated the big win. "Now, the California legislature has paved the way for ACA 8 to be placed on the ballot, allowing California voters to help end this cruel and racist practice," Anti-Recidivism Coalition CEO Sam Lewis said.

California follows in the footsteps of the Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah, all of which voted to remove language from their state constitutions allowing slavery in cases of criminal punishment.