1.1 A bill for an act
1.2 relating to state government; recognizing Juneteenth, June 19, as a state holiday;
1.3 amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, sections 10.55; 645.44, subdivision 5.
1.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.5 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 10.55, is amended to read:
1.6 10.55 JUNETEENTH.
1.7 (a) The third Saturday in June 19 of each year is designated Juneteenth in recognition
1.8 of the historical pronouncement of the abolition of slavery on June 19, 1865, when the
1.9 Emancipation Proclamation was said to have been first publicly read in Texas by Union
1.10 soldiers led by General Granger. The announcement came 2-1/2 years after President
1.11 Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and two months after General Lee's surrender
1.12 in April 1865. Juneteenth and emancipation celebrations have been commonplace in
1.13 Minnesota since 1889 as a result of community-based grassroots efforts.
1.14 (b) Each year the governor shall issue a proclamation honoring this observance and
1.15 recognizing the important contributions African-Americans have made to Minnesota's
1.16 communities, culture, and economy. The governor may also take any additional action
1.17 necessary to promote and encourage the observance of Juneteenth and public schools may
1.18 offer instruction and programs on the occasion.
1.19 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 645.44, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
1.20 Subd. 5.Holiday. "Holiday" includes New Year's Day, January 1; Martin Luther King's
1.21 Birthday, the third Monday in January; Washington's and Lincoln's Birthday, the third
1.22 Monday in February; Memorial Day, the last Monday in May; Juneteenth, June 19;
2.1 Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, the first Monday in September; Christopher Columbus
2.2 Day, the second Monday in October; Veterans Day, November 11; Thanksgiving Day, the
2.3 fourth Thursday in November; and Christmas Day, December 25; provided, when New
2.4 Year's Day, January 1; or Juneteenth, June 19; or Independence Day, July 4; or Veterans
2.5 Day, November 11; or Christmas Day, December 25; falls on Sunday, the following day
2.6 shall be a holiday and, provided, when New Year's Day, January 1; or Juneteenth, June 19;
2.7 or Independence Day, July 4; or Veterans Day, November 11; or Christmas Day, December
2.8 25; falls on Saturday, the preceding day shall be a holiday. No public business shall be
2.9 transacted on any holiday, except in cases of necessity and except in cases of public business
2.10 transacted by the legislature, nor shall any civil process be served thereon. However, for
2.11 the executive branch of the state of Minnesota, "holiday" also includes the Friday after
2.12 Thanksgiving but does not include Christopher Columbus Day. Other branches of state
2.13 government and political subdivisions shall have the option of determining whether
2.14 Christopher Columbus Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving shall be holidays. Where it
2.15 is determined that Columbus Day or the Friday after Thanksgiving is not a holiday, public
2.16 business may be conducted thereon.
2.17 Any agreement between a public employer and an employee organization citing Veterans
2.18 Day as the fourth Monday in October shall be amended to cite Veterans Day as November
2.19 11.
