Bill to Make Juneteenth a Federal Holiday Passes in House With 415-14 Vote

Congress has passed the bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Yesterday, the bill to establish ‘Juneteenth National Independence Day’ passed in the House with a vote of 415 to 14 only a day after the Senate passed it unanimously. 14 Republicans voted against passing the bill including Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina. The legislation was blocked in 2020 by Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin but he dropped his objection this week allowing the bill to advance out of the chamber. The bill is now waiting to be signed into effect by President Biden who just returned from his first international trip after taking office in January. He along with Vice President Harris, will hold a signing event at the White House later today at 3:30. The legislation gained momentum after the Black Lives Matter protests were sparked after the fatal police killing of George Floyd last May and Democrats took over the White House and Congress.