Juneteenth National Independence Day: A New Federal Holiday

Juneteenth National Independence Day: A New Federal Holiday

INSIGHTi

Juneteenth National Independence Day:
A New Federal Holiday
Updated January 13, 2022
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act (P.L. 117-
71) into law. It had passed the Senate on June 15 and the House of Representatives on June 16. The act
amends Section 6103(a), Title 5 of the United States Code to designate June 19 as Juneteenth National
Independence Day.
In the 117th Congress, two companion bills—H.R. 1320 and S. 475—were both introduced on February
25, 2021. In the 116th Congress (2019-2020), legislation was introduced to create a federal holiday and the
House and Senate also agreed to resolutions honoring Juneteenth. Legislation to designate Juneteenth as a
federal holiday had not been introduced prior to the 116th Congress.
After he signed P.L. 117-17 (S. 475) into law, President Biden issued a proclamation to celebrate the
observance of Juneteenth. In part, the proclamation read
On June 19, 1865—nearly nine decades after our Nation’s founding, and more than 2 years after
President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation—enslaved Americans in Galveston,
Texas, finally received word that they were free from bondage. As those who were formerly
enslaved were recognized for the first time as citizens, Black Americans came to commemorate
Juneteenth with celebrations across the country, building new lives and a new tradition that we honor
today. In its celebration of freedom, Juneteenth is a day that should be recognized by all Americans.
And that is why I am proud to have consecrated Juneteenth as our newest national holiday.
On June 17, 2021, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued guidance on the
recognition of Juneteenth National Independence Day in the federal workplace. In addition to providing
guidance on the application of the federal holiday to various employment categories, OPM noted that
Juneteenth fell on a Saturday in 2021, and that the holiday would be observed on Friday, June 18, the
same “in lieu of” policy employed when other federal holidays fall on a weekend.
Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army issued General Order No. 3 in
Galveston, TX. The order announced to the people of Texas that the Emancipation Proclamation’s freeing
of enslaved people in the Confederate states was in effect. Specifically, General Order No. 3 stated
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The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of
the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights
of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between
them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their
present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at
military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
Since the issuance of General Order No. 3, the observance of Juneteenth on June 19 has evolved. Today,
49 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday or
observance (see Table 1 in CRS Report R44865, Juneteenth: Fact Sheet, by Erin M. Smith).
Federal Holidays
With the enactment of S. 475 and the creation of the Juneteenth National Independence Day, the United
States now has 12 permanent federal holidays, codified at 5 U.S.C. §6103. They are, in the order they
appear in the calendar, New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Inauguration Day (every four
years following a presidential election), George Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth
National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving
Day, and Christmas Day. Although frequently called public or national days, these observances are only
legally applicable to federal employees and the District of Columbia, as the states individually decide
their own legal holidays (see 5 C.F.R. §610.202). According to the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM), for the public holidays codified at 5 U.S.C. §6103, “full-time employees who are not required to
work on a holiday receive their rate of basic pay for the applicable number of holiday hours.”
The first four federal holidays were created in 1870, when Congress granted paid time off to federal
workers in the District of Columbia for New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas Day. In 1880, George Washington’s Birthday was added. In 1941, Congress specifically
designated the fourth Thursday of November as the official date for the observance of Thanksgiving. Prior
to that time, Thanksgiving was recognized either on the third or fourth Thursday of November.
Since 1888, Congress has added seven federal holidays, creating Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) in
1888, Labor Day in 1894, Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) in 1938, Inauguration Day in 1957
(quadrennially and only celebrated in the District of Columbia), Columbus Day in 1968, Martin Luther
King Jr.’s Birthday in 1983, and Juneteenth National Independence Day in 2021. Further, in 1968, the
Uniform Monday Holiday Act was enacted to “provide for uniform annual observances” of Washington’s
Birthday (referred to as Presidents’ Day by many states and municipalities), Memorial Day, and Veterans
Day. Additionally, the Monday Holiday Law established Columbus Day to be celebrated on the second
Monday in October. In 1975, Congress returned the Veterans Day observance to November 11.
For more information on federal holidays, see CRS Report R41990, Federal Holidays: Evolution and
Current Practices, by Jacob R. Straus.

Author Information

Jacob R. Straus

Specialist on the Congress

Congressional Research Service
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