Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / AP
People attend Juneteenth celebrations in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, on June 19, 2021.
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023 | 5:10 p.m.
In this June 17, 2021, file photo, President Joe Biden hands a pen to Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., after signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. From left, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Opal Lee, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., obscured, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of S.C., Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, obscured, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.
An assembly bill sponsored by the city of North Las Vegas would make Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the 1865 emancipation of Black Americans who were enslaved in the United States, as a statewide holiday.
Assembly Bill 31, if passed, would recognize June 19 as a state holiday and would otherwise be observed annually the third Monday of June, according to a news release by the city.
North Las Vegas became the first municipality in Nevada to recognize the Juneteenth holiday after a resolution passed in June 19, 2021, and already gives city employees the day off as well as close city facilities.
If the bill eventually becomes law, similar provisions would be provided to public workers across the state.
President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act on June 17, 2021, making it a federal holiday as well. Nationally, the holiday is recognized in 24 states.
“Advocating for our diverse residents has long been a priority for the City of North Las Vegas,” said the city’s government affairs specialist Kandice Townsend in a statement. “Our Juneteenth proposal further memorialized the city’s commitments to our unique constituents and North Las Vegas staff and leadership are proud to champion this historical date for celebration statewide.”
North Las Vegas is one of the most diverse cities in Nevada, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, with 57% of the city’s population of 275,000 identifying as nonwhite. African Americans make up the second-largest ethnic minority in the city, about 22% of the populace.
Earlier this month, North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown was sworn-in for her inaugural term, the city’s first ever African American to hold the post.
The bill must pass through the Nevada Assembly and Senate before it ultimately would be signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo. In Lombardo’s first media interview since assuming office, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday he’d sign AB 31 if it makes it to his desk.
In a statement, Elizabeth Ray, communications director for Lombardo, told the Sun the governor would take a wait-and-see approach before agreeing to sign anything.
“We’ll monitor all bills as they work through the legislative process and engage when we feel necessary,” she said.
