MONTGOMERY, AL (WBMA) — The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to officially recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday. For several years, Governor Kay Ivey has designated Juneteenth as a state holiday, but it had not been made permanent until now.
The discussion on the House floor was tense at times, with Black Democratic lawmakers expressing that this should have been a victory for them.
Representative Mary Moore of Birmingham voiced her frustration, saying, “We’ve had people to carry a Juneteenth bill for quite some time. I am going to say it over and over again, when we bring the bill, it is not a good bill. But it is about us. It is all about us but we can’t carry a bill to acknowledge what happened to us, get it in committee and get it out. But you can bring the bill and get it in committee. A bill that is about us. There’s something wrong with that.”
The bill, House Bill 165, was carried by White Republican Representative Rick Rehm. It adds Juneteenth to the list of state holidays, meaning all state offices would be closed. The original version of the bill included a compromise that proposed not closing state offices on Juneteenth or for Jefferson Davis’ birthday, allowing employees to observe one holiday or the other. However, that provision was removed, making Juneteenth a state holiday observed like all others.
Rehm, in his first term in the legislature, acknowledged the issues raised by his Democratic colleagues. He said he has heard the need for this change from his constituents and noted that the governor’s previous declarations of Juneteenth as a state holiday showed that an additional paid holiday would not harm the state’s budget. Rehm also pointed out that Juneteenth is a federal holiday and is recognized by local governments.
The bill will now move to a Senate committee for further consideration.
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