2020 -- H 8083 | |
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LC005477 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HOLIDAYS AND DAYS OF SPECIAL OBSERVANCE | |
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Introduced By: Representative Anastasia P. Williams | |
Date Introduced: June 24, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Special Legislation | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Findings of fact. |
2 | The General Assembly finds "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" commemorates the news |
3 | of liberation of slaves which came to Texas more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s |
4 | Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863; African Americans across the state |
5 | were made aware of their right to freedom on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger |
6 | arrived in Galveston with federal troops to read General Order No. 3 announcing the end of the |
7 | Civil War and that all enslaved people were now free, as well as to maintain a presence in Texas |
8 | for the purpose of enforcement of emancipation among slave owners throughout the state; and |
9 | The General Assembly finds, Rhode Island has a tradition of acknowledging significant |
10 | milestones in advancing the cause of freedom, and Rhode Islanders, some of whom descend |
11 | directly from those brave men and women that gained freedom on that day, join in celebrating the |
12 | 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, an observance that commemorates the official announcement |
13 | made in the State of Texas regarding the abolition of slavery and the freeing of some quarter-million |
14 | African Americans; and |
15 | The General Assembly finds, the observance of Juneteenth honors the history, |
16 | perseverance, and achievements of African Americans, and celebrates America’s progress and |
17 | continuing commitment to realizing the principles of liberty and equality upon which our nation |
18 | was founded; and |
19 | The General Assembly finds, this observance is a reminder of the hardships and losses |
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1 | suffered by African Americans in their struggle to attain freedom, and we pay tribute to the memory |
2 | of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this quest; through their experiences and those of others |
3 | who were successful in achieving victory, we find among the most poignant and valuable lessons |
4 | of humankind that continue to resonate with people of all backgrounds. |
5 | SECTION 2. Section 25-1-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 25-1 entitled "Holidays" is |
6 | hereby amended to read as follows: |
7 | 25-1-1. General holidays enumerated. |
8 | The first day of January or, in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state |
9 | employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as New Year's Day), the third |
10 | Monday of January (as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday), the third Monday of February (as |
11 | Washington's Birthday), the fourth day of May (as Rhode Island Independence Day), the last |
12 | Monday of May (as Memorial Day), the nineteenth day of June (as Juneteenth National Freedom |
13 | Day), the fourth day of July or, in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state employees |
14 | will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Independence Day), the second Monday of |
15 | August (as Victory Day), the first Monday of September (as Labor Day), the second Monday of |
16 | October (as Columbus Day), the eleventh day of November or, in the event that day is a Saturday |
17 | or Sunday, then state employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Veterans' |
18 | Day), the twenty-fifth day of December, or in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state |
19 | employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Christmas Day), and each of the |
20 | above days in every year, or when either of the above days falls on the first day of the week, then |
21 | the day following it, the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in each year in which a |
22 | general election of state officers is held (as election day), the first day of every week (commonly |
23 | called Sunday), and any other days as the governor or general assembly of this state or the president |
24 | or the congress of the United States shall appoint as holidays for any purpose, days of thanksgiving, |
25 | or days of solemn fast, shall be holidays. |
26 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HOLIDAYS AND DAYS OF SPECIAL OBSERVANCE | |
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1 | This act would create the nineteenth day in June a state holiday entitled Juneteenth National |
2 | Freedom Day to commemorate the news of liberation of slaves. |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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