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

     

     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:

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     SECTION 1. Findings of fact.

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     The General Assembly finds "Juneteenth National Freedom Day" commemorates the news

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of liberation of slaves which came to Texas more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s

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Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863; African Americans across the state

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were made aware of their right to freedom on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger

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arrived in Galveston with federal troops to read General Order No. 3 announcing the end of the

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Civil War and that all enslaved people were now free, as well as to maintain a presence in Texas

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for the purpose of enforcement of emancipation among slave owners throughout the state; and

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     The General Assembly finds, Rhode Island has a tradition of acknowledging significant

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milestones in advancing the cause of freedom, and Rhode Islanders, some of whom descend

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directly from those brave men and women that gained freedom on that day, join in celebrating the

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155th anniversary of Juneteenth, an observance that commemorates the official announcement

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made in the State of Texas regarding the abolition of slavery and the freeing of some quarter-million

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African Americans; and

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     The General Assembly finds, the observance of Juneteenth honors the history,

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perseverance, and achievements of African Americans, and celebrates America’s progress and

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continuing commitment to realizing the principles of liberty and equality upon which our nation

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was founded; and

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     The General Assembly finds, this observance is a reminder of the hardships and losses

 

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suffered by African Americans in their struggle to attain freedom, and we pay tribute to the memory

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of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this quest; through their experiences and those of others

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who were successful in achieving victory, we find among the most poignant and valuable lessons

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of humankind that continue to resonate with people of all backgrounds.

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     SECTION 2. Section 25-1-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 25-1 entitled "Holidays" is

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hereby amended to read as follows:

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     25-1-1. General holidays enumerated.

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     The first day of January or, in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state

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employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as New Year's Day), the third

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Monday of January (as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday), the third Monday of February (as

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Washington's Birthday), the fourth day of May (as Rhode Island Independence Day), the last

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Monday of May (as Memorial Day), the nineteenth day of June (as Juneteenth National Freedom

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Day), the fourth day of July or, in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state employees

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will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Independence Day), the second Monday of

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August (as Victory Day), the first Monday of September (as Labor Day), the second Monday of

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October (as Columbus Day), the eleventh day of November or, in the event that day is a Saturday

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or Sunday, then state employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Veterans'

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Day), the twenty-fifth day of December, or in the event that day is a Saturday or Sunday, then state

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employees will celebrate the holiday on the following Monday (as Christmas Day), and each of the

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above days in every year, or when either of the above days falls on the first day of the week, then

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the day following it, the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in each year in which a

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general election of state officers is held (as election day), the first day of every week (commonly

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called Sunday), and any other days as the governor or general assembly of this state or the president

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or the congress of the United States shall appoint as holidays for any purpose, days of thanksgiving,

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or days of solemn fast, shall be holidays.

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     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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     This act would create the nineteenth day in June a state holiday entitled Juneteenth National

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Freedom Day to commemorate the news of liberation of slaves.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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