EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0227*
HOUSE BILL 227
P1 2lr0321
HB 448/21 – HGO
By: Delegate Harrison Delegates Harrison, Bagnall, Belcastro, Bhandari, Carr,
Cullison, Hill, Johnson, Kaiser, Kelly, Kerr, Kipke, Landis, R. Lewis,
Pena–Melnyk, Pendergrass, Rosenberg, Saab, Sample –Hughes, and
K. Young
Introduced and read first time: January 13, 2022
Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 15, 2022
CHAPTER ______
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 2 HOUSE BILL 227
Section 9–201 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2015 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 3
Preamble 4
WHEREAS, The holiday of “Juneteenth” celebrates the notification on June 19, 5
1865, to the last slaves, in the state of Texas, that President Abraham Lincoln had signed 6
the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863; and 7
WHEREAS, Juneteenth has come to symbolize for many African Americans the 8
triumph of the human spirit over the cruelty of slavery; and 9
WHEREAS, On June 17, 2021, the United States Congress enacted legislation 10
declaring Juneteenth National Independence Day to be a legal public holiday; and 11
WHEREAS, Juneteenth is celebrated annually in more than 205 cities, 12
commemorated in 49 states, and designated as a paid state holiday in Texas, New York, 13
Virginia, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oregon; and 14
WHEREAS, When the Maryland legislature passed a resolution on November 1, 15
1864, freeing all slaves in the State, Baltimore was the African American capital of the 16
United States, with the 30,000 free blacks in Baltimore City and 5,400 slaves in the State 17
making up 13 to 15 percent of the population of the State; and 18
WHEREAS, It is important to the descendants of those free blacks and slaves, to all 19
other African American citizens of Maryland, and to all citizens of Maryland regardless of 20
their racial or ethnic background that this important moment in our country’s and our 21
State’s history be formally recognized within the State; now, therefore, 22
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 24
Article – General Provisions 25
1–111. 26
(a) In this Code and any regulation or directive adopted under it, “legal holiday” 27
means: 28
(1) January 1, for New Year’s Day; 29
(2) (i) January 15, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday; or 30
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 31
observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, the day designated by the United 32
States Congress; 33 HOUSE BILL 227 3
(3) February 12, for Lincoln’s birthday; 1
(4) the third Monday in February, for Washington’s birthday; 2
(5) March 25, for Maryland Day; 3
(6) Good Friday; 4
(7) (i) May 30, for Memorial Day; or 5
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 6
observance of Memorial Day, the day designated by the United States Congress; 7
(8) JUNE 19, FOR JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY; 8
(9) July 4, for Independence Day; 9
[(9)] (10) the first Monday in September, for Labor Day; 10
[(10)] (11) September 12, for Defenders’ Day; 11
[(11)] (12) (i) October 12, for Columbus Day; or 12
(ii) if the United States Congress designates another day for 13
observance of Columbus Day, the day designated by the United States Congress; 14
[(12)] (13) November 11, for Veterans’ Day; 15
[(13)] (14) the fourth Thursday in November, for Thanksgiving Day; 16
[(14)] (15) the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, for American Indian 17
Heritage Day; 18
[(15)] (16) December 25, for Christmas Day; 19
[(16)] (17) each statewide general election day in the State; and 20
[(17)] (18) each other day that the President of the United States or the 21
Governor designates for general cessation of business. 22
(b) Except as otherwise expressly provided in the Code, a legal holiday shall be 23
observed on: 24
(1) the date specified in subsection (a) of this section; or 25
4 HOUSE BILL 227
(2) if that date falls on a Sunday, on the next Monday after that date. 1
[7–411. 2
The Governor annually shall proclaim June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom 3
Day.] 4
Article – State Personnel and Pensions 5
9–201. 6
In this title, “employee holiday” includes: 7
(1) January 1, for New Year’s Day; 8
(2) January 15, for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, unless the 9
United States Congress designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in 10
which case, the day designated by the United States Congress; 11
(3) the third Monday in February, for Presidents’ Day; 12
(4) May 30, for Memorial Day, unless the United States Congress 13
designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in which case, the day 14
designated by the United States Congress; 15
(5) JUNE 19, FOR JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY; 16
(6) July 4, for Independence Day; 17
[(6)] (7) the first Monday in September, for Labor Day; 18
[(7)] (8) October 12, for Columbus Day, unless the United States 19
Congress designates another day for observance of that legal holiday, in which case, the 20
day designated by the United States Congress; 21
[(8)] (9) November 11, for Veterans’ Day; 22
[(9)] (10) the fourth Thursday in November, for Thanksgiving Day; 23
[(10)] (11) the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, for American Indian 24
Heritage Day; 25
[(11)] (12) December 25, for Christmas Day; 26
[(12)] (13) each statewide general election day in this State; and 27
HOUSE BILL 227 5
[(13)] (14) each other day that the President of the United States or the 1
Governor designates for general cessation of business. 2
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 3
1, 2022. 4
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.