Minnesota House passes bill making Juneteenth a state holiday

The Minnesota House passed a bill Thursday establishing Juneteenth, June 19, as a state-recognized holiday.

The bill passed by a 126 – 1 vote.

June 19 is generally understood to have been the day slavery was fully abolished in the United States following the first public reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas on June 19, 1865.

In general, a public business may not be conducted on a state holiday. A law establishing Juneteenth as a federally recognized holiday was enacted in 2021.

The state Senate has already passed the bill, which Governor Tim Walz is expected to sign on Friday.