EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0227*
HOUSE BILL 227
P1 2lr0321
HB 448/21 – HGO
By: Delegate Harrison
Introduced and read first time: January 13, 2022
Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
State Government – Legal and Employee Holiday – Juneteenth National 2
Independence Day 3
FOR the purpose of establishing Juneteenth National Independence Day as a State legal 4
holiday and State employee holiday; repealing the requirement that the Governor 5
declare a certain day as Juneteenth National Freedom Day; and generally relating 6
to Juneteenth National Independence Day. 7
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
Article – General Provisions 9
Section 1–111 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 12
BY repealing 13
Article – General Provisions 14
Section 7–411 15
Annotated Code of Maryland 16
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 17
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 18
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 19
Section 9–201 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2015 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 22
Preamble 23
WHEREAS, The holiday of “Juneteenth” celebrates the notification on June 19, 24
1865, to the last slaves, in the state of Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had signed 25
the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863; and 26 2 HOUSE BILL 227
WHEREAS, Juneteenth has come to symbolize for many African Americans the 1
triumph of the human spirit over the cruelty of slavery; and 2
WHEREAS, On June 17, 2021, the United States Congress enacted legislation 3
declaring Juneteenth National Independence Day to be a legal public holiday; and 4
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is celebrated annually in more than 205 cities, 5
commemorated in 49 states, and designated as a paid state holiday in Texas, New York, 6
Virginia, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oregon; and 7
WHEREAS, When the Maryland legislature passed a resolution on November 1, 8
1864, freeing all slaves in the State, Baltimore was the African American capital of the 9
United States, with the 30,000 free blacks in Baltimore City and 5,400 slaves in the State 10
making up 13 to 15 percent of the population of the State; and 11
WHEREAS, It is important to the descendants of those free blacks and slaves, to all 12
other African American citizens of Maryland, and to all citizens of Maryland regardless of 13
their racial or ethnic background that this important moment in our country’s and our 14
State’s history be formally recognized within the State; now, therefore, 15
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
Article – General Provisions 18
1–111. 19
(a) In this Code and any regulation or directive adopted under it, “legal holiday” 20
means: 21
(1) January 1, for New Year’s Day; 22
(2) (i) January 15, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday; or 23
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 24
observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the day designated by the United 25
States Congress; 26
(3) February 12, for Lincoln’s birthday; 27
(4) the third Monday in February, for Washington’s birthday; 28
(5) March 25, for Maryland Day; 29
(6) Good Friday; 30
HOUSE BILL 227 3
(7) (i) May 30, for Memorial Day; or 1
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 2
observance of Memorial Day, the day designated by the United States Congress; 3
(8) JUNE 19, FOR JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY; 4
(9) July 4, for Independence Day; 5
[(9)] (10) the first Monday in September, for Labor Day; 6
[(10)] (11) September 12, for Defenders’ Day; 7
[(11)] (12) (i) October 12, for Columbus Day; or 8
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 9
observance of Columbus Day, the day designated by the United States Congress; 10
[(12)] (13) November 11, for Veterans’ Day; 11
[(13)] (14) the fourth Thursday in November, for Thanksgiving Day; 12
[(14)] (15) the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, for American Indian 13
Heritage Day; 14
[(15)] (16) December 25, for Christmas Day; 15
[(16)] (17) each statewide general election day in the State; and 16
[(17)] (18) each other day that the President of the United States or the 17
Governor designates for general cessation of business. 18
(b) Except as otherwise expressly provided in the Code, a legal holiday shall be 19
observed on: 20
(1) the date specified in subsection (a) of this section; or 21
(2) if that date falls on a Sunday, on the next Monday after that date. 22
[7–411. 23
The Governor annually shall proclaim June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom 24
Day.] 25
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 26
4 HOUSE BILL 227
9–201. 1
In this title, “employee holiday” includes: 2
(1) January 1, for New Year’s Day; 3
(2) January 15, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, unless the 4
United States Congress designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in 5
which case, the day designated by the United States Congress; 6
(3) the third Monday in February, for Presidents’ Day; 7
(4) May 30, for Memorial Day, unless the United States Congress 8
designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in which case, the day 9
designated by the United States Congress; 10
(5) JUNE 19, FOR JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY; 11
(6) July 4, for Independence Day; 12
[(6)] (7) the first Monday in September, for Labor Day; 13
[(7)] (8) October 12, for Columbus Day, unless the United States 14
Congress designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in which case, the 15
day designated by the United States Congress; 16
[(8)] (9) November 11, for Veterans’ Day; 17
[(9)] (10) the fourth Thursday in November, for Thanksgiving Day; 18
[(10)] (11) the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, for American Indian 19
Heritage Day; 20
[(11)] (12) December 25, for Christmas Day; 21
[(12)] (13) each statewide general election day in this State; and 22
[(13)] (14) each other day that the President of the United States or the 23
Governor designates for general cessation of business. 24
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 25
1, 2022. 26