WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after his bipartisan bill with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) to make Juneteenth a federal holiday passed the Senate:
“The freedom of all Americans that Texas celebrates every Juneteenth should be celebrated all across the nation,” said Sen. Cornyn. “The passage of this bill represents a big step in our nation’s journey toward equality. I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support, and my fellow Texans who have been celebrating this important holiday for more than a century.”
Juneteenth is already a state holiday in Texas, 46 other states, and the District of Columbia. Sen. Cornyn has been the lead author of a resolution honoring Juneteenth each year since 2011. He also authored a bill with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) for a federal study of a National Emancipation Trail from Galveston to Houston, following the path of former slaves who had learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865 to spread the news, which was signed into law.