AB140 – In Honor of Native American Heritage Month
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, we are sharing all the favorable outcomes of the 82nd Legislative Session.
As all our relatives become more engaged in civic matters, please know that Assembly Bill 140 made June 19 a state holiday.
To commemorate June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Congress recognized Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.
Section 1 of this bill makes Juneteenth Day a legal holiday in this State, rather than a day of observance. Section 1 further provides that Juneteenth Day is to be observed on June 19.
Section 2 of this bill makes a conforming change to account for the potential closure of state, county and city governmental offices on the third Monday in June in certain years when June 19 falls on the third Monday in June.
Section 3 of this bill makes a conforming change to repeal the requirement that the Governor proclaim June 19 to be “Juneteenth Day” in the State of Nevada as a day of observance.
The NEVADA INDIAN COMMISSION (NIC) is a State agency created by statute in 1965 to “study matters affecting the social and economic welfare and well-being of American Indians residing in Nevada, including but not limited to matters and problems relating to Indian affairs and to federal and state control, responsibility, policy, and operations affecting such Indians.” Beginning on July 1, 2024, our agency will be known as the Department of Native American Affairs (DNA).
For more information about Juneteenth Day, click here.