A bill making “Juneteenth” a state legal holiday has been scheduled for a public hearing and committee vote later this week.
HB 1016, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Morgan (D–Tacoma), establishes Juneteenth (June 19) as a state legal holiday. Juneteenth would be the 11th state legal holiday. These holidays are when most state (and other public) employees are permitted the time off to observe the day. Cities are permitted to recognize their own list of holidays through adoption of ordinances, personnel policies, or including them in collective bargaining agreements.
Juneteenth grew out of the events of June 19, 1865 when the Union Army arrived to occupy Galveston, Texas following the Civil War. It was the first day
that the African slaves being held in the city learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the war, and their subsequent freedom from slavery. The Juneteenth holiday is celebrated officially to varying degrees across the United States, especially
in the former Confederate states where large African American populations have a long history of celebrating the day as a “Second Independence Day.” The holiday has also evolved to include celebrations of Black American culture and to
encourage participation in civic life. There is a push to make Juneteenth a federal holiday as well.
The bill was previously heard on January 13 in the House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee with all testimony in favor of the bill. That committee voted the bill out on January 20 with a 5-2 vote.
Dates to remember
HB 1016 is scheduled for public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Monday, February 1 at 3:30 pm.
HB 1016 is also scheduled for a committee vote in the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday, February 4 at 3:30 pm.