Bill > HB471

This bill amends Section 3-3-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972 to add Juneteenth Freedom Day (June 19) to the list of legal holidays in the state. Currently, Mississippi recognizes several legal holidays including New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee's birthdays, Washington's birthday, Confederate Memorial Day, National Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The bill's insertion of Juneteenth as a legal holiday is significant because Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and marks a crucial moment in African American history, specifically celebrating the day (June 19, 1865) when enslaved people in Texas were finally informed of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The bill allows this day to be recognized alongside other state holidays, providing official acknowledgment of this important historical milestone. The legislation will take effect immediately upon its passage, meaning Juneteenth will become a legal holiday in Mississippi once the bill is signed into law.

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0471.xml