Topline
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) said Tuesday he will not block a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, as he did in 2020, clearing the way for the bill to pass the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.
United States Senator Ron Johnson (Republican of Wisconsin) speaks to journalists with joint a press ... [+]
NurPhoto via Getty ImagesKey Facts
Johnson said in a statement it is “clear there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the bill’s lead GOP cosponsor, told the Huffington Post there will likely be a request to pass the bill with unanimous consent in the coming week.
The bill has 60 Senate cosponsors, including 18 Republicans, enough to overcome a filibuster, and a companion bill in the House introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has several GOP cosponsors as well.
Johnson said he still has qualms with the bill’s “cost and lack of the debate,” arguing it “seems strange” that “having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery.”
Under Senate rules, any senator can block their colleagues from passing largely uncontroversial bills unanimously to avoid lengthy procedural steps, forcing the bills to compete with higher priority legislation and often effectively killing them.
Key Background
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day, celebrates an order transmitting news of the emancipation proclamation to the geographically isolated community of Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, freeing America’s last enslaved African Americans. The holiday has been widely celebrated in the black community for centuries but has become more mainstream in recent decades.
Big Number
49. That’s the number of states that recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. Hawaii was the most recent, passing a bill to make it a state-recognized holiday in April. South Dakota is the only state that has not recognized Juneteenth as a holiday despite several legislative efforts to do so this year.
What To Watch For
If Congress passes a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, President Joe Biden would likely sign it. Vice President Kamala Harris introduced the bill with Cornyn in 2020, when she was a senator.
The Link LonkJune 16, 2021 at 12:42AM
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Sen. Ron Johnson Clears Way For Bill Making Juneteenth A Federal Holiday - Forbes
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