Governor Murphy signed, S-19, (now, P.L.2020, c.76), designating Juneteenth, the third Thursday in June, as a state and public holiday. New Jersey is the sixth state to designate Juneteenth a state holiday.
Yesterday, Governor Murphy signed, S-19, (now, P.L.2020, c.76), designating Juneteenth, the third Thursday in June, as a state and public holiday. The legislation adds Juneteenth as a paid holiday for all State government employees. New Jersey is the sixth state to designate Juneteenth a state holiday.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, TX, to inform enslaved people of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and of their freedom. The announcement from General Granger led to celebration and jubilation, which has continued each year in various forms throughout the United States for 150 years. This law took effect immediately.
Contact: Paul Penna, Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609 695-3481, x110.