Governor Joe Lombardo announced he signed Assembly Bill 140, sponsored by a group of bipartisan legislators, which makes Junettenth a state holiday in Nevada and “commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.”

According to historical record, on June 19, 1865, some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas with news of freedom. More than 250,000 African Americans across Texas were granted freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day. The date

The holiday will be observed on June 19th, unless the day falls on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed. If June 19th falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday will be observed. All state, county and city offices, courts, public schools and the Nevada System of Higher Education must close as provided by state statute. 

The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

Governor Lombardo has signed 262 bills and has issued 32 vetoes. The Governor has until June 16th to sign or veto legislation, or the  bills will automatically become law. The legislature is currently in a second special session to discuss SB-1, a bill related to public’s financing of the A’s baseball stadium in Las Vegas.