SENATE BILL NO. 22 "An Act establishing Juneteenth Day as a legal holiday." 11:15:54 AM SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, SPONSOR, introduced SB 22 and offered a brief history of Juneteenth. She shared that although the United States proclaimed itself as the "land of the free," the statement was not true until 1865. Before 1865, many Americans were still living under slavery and not living as the U.S. Declaration of Independence had promised. In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that freed enslaved people in Texas and all rebellious parts of southern secessionist states of the Confederacy. However, it was only through the Thirteenth Amendment that emancipation ended slavery throughout America. Two years later, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that enslaved people were free by executive decree, marking the end of over 200 years of the enslavement of Black Americans. Enslaved people in Texas would not find out that they were freed for an additional three years. In 2001, former Alaska Senator Lesil McGuire introduced HB 100 which established the third Saturday of each June as Juneteenth Day to commemorate the abolishment of slavery throughout the U.S. in 1865. The bill was signed into law on April 10, 2001, and she thanked past bipartisan members of both the House and Senate for supporting the bill. Senator Gray-Jackson continued that Juneteenth was often seen as a "Black American holiday," but it was a celebration for everyone. She shared that Anchorage held the largest Juneteenth festival in the state, which was an event that embraced everyone in attendance regardless of color or ethnicity. The event included local, state, and federal politicians in addition to community members. There were also other countries that celebrated Juneteenth and the celebration extended well beyond color and ethnicity. Senator Gray-Jackson concluded that SB 22 would create an awareness and appreciation for American history and help to continue the sometimes difficult conversation about what it meant to truly be free. She encouraged the community to keep festivities alive and continue to secure freedom for generations to come. She added that Juneteenth was also the day she moved to Anchorage and in the coming June, she will have lived in Alaska for 41 years. 11:19:39 AM BESSE ODOM, STAFF, SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, introduced the PowerPoint presentation "Senate Bill 22 'An act establishing Juneteenth Day as a legal holiday'" dated February 6, 2024 (copy on file). She indicated that she would be giving a high level overview of the bill and of Juneteenth itself. She continued on slide 2 of the presentation. The celebration of Juneteenth had several names: Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, and Liberation Day. She reiterated that the holiday was first celebrated in Galveston, Texas when enslaved individuals were made aware three years after the Emancipation Proclamation that they had been freed. Ms. Odom continued on slide 3 and relayed that recognition of the day was broad. Every state including Washington D.C. celebrated Juneteenth in some capacity. The first state to honor the holiday was Texas, followed by Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Delaware, and Idaho. In addition to the states celebrating the holiday, there were several corporations that celebrated the holiday. Juneteenth celebrations were also held in other countries around the world, including South Korea, Israel, France, Guam, Honduras, Japan, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago. Ms. Odom continued on slide 4 and relayed that in 2021, President Biden signed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday. The holiday was now one of 11 official federal holidays. Most recently, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a municipal holiday. Ms. Odom advanced to slide 5 and explained what it would mean for Juneteenth to become a state holiday. In other states, people employed by the state might have a day off work. Stores and other organizations and businesses were likely to be open as usual, but some stores might close or have restricted hours. Many public transit services operated on their usual schedule, but there could be some changes. She concluded the presentation. 11:23:09 AM Co-Chair Foster OPENED public testimony. 11:24:06 AM CELESTE GRODEN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ALASKA BLACK CAUCUS, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), relayed that the Alaska Black Caucus was a non-profit organization formed in the 1970s to champion the lives of Black people and other marginalized groups. She urged support for SB 22 and thought it was time that Alaska joined other states and recognized Juneteenth as a paid state holiday. Racism was widespread and deeply rooted and would not be eradicated in a single generation; however, declaring Juneteenth as a holiday would be a symbol to honor Black Americans who had suffered the impacts of slavery and racism. She noted that Juneteenth marked a date of major significance in American history and represented the way in which freedom for Black people had been delayed. She stressed that the purpose of Juneteenth becoming a state holiday was not to give employees a day off, but to give individuals a day to think about the desired future while remembering the inequities of the past. She urged passage of the bill. She thanked Representative Galvin for hearing the bill and Senator Gray-Jackson for sponsoring the bill. Representative Galvin clarified that she was a strong supporter of the bill but she was not a sponsor. She stressed that the bill was the result of extensive work done by Senator Gray-Jackson and her staff. 11:27:49 AM EDWARD WESLEY, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), had been a resident of Alaska for 50 years. He was excited about the direction the state was going in the recognition of Juneteenth. He thought that making Juneteenth a holiday would acknowledge history as well as contribute to a healing process. Over 200,000 African Americans fought in the Civil War and out of that effort, the Buffalo Soldiers group was established. The Buffalo Soldiers provided security for the expansion of the West and were the primary force behind winning the Spanish American War in 1898. The soldiers were sent to Alaska in 1889 and remained in the state until 1903. He explained that he was speaking about the soldiers because he wanted to stress that the contributions of African Americans throughout the history of the state and the nation were vast. Despite the contributions, African Americans had suffered from 200 years of free labor and from being denied the opportunity to build generational wealth. Mr. Wesley continued that the hearing process of SB 22 had acknowledged a number of injustices committed against African Americans. For example, in the late 1940s, two African Americans were hung in Juneau and the injustice had never been resolved. When the Voters Rights Act was enacted, Alaska was one of 13 states that had to receive clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice before it could make major changes to voting processes. He stressed that the bill would send a message that Alaska was no longer living in the past and that the state wanted to acknowledge the atrocities that had been committed against African Americans. He asked for support for the legislation. 11:32:27 AM MICHAEL PATTERSON, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of the bill. He shared that Juneteenth was his favorite holiday and a way to celebrate his ancestors' struggles for liberation. His last name was a "slave name" and did not originate from his ancestors. He believed that proclaiming the day as a holiday would act as a reminder of the progress the country had made as well as the progress yet to come. Proclaiming Juneteenth a holiday was one of the steps towards reconciliation in the aftermath of slavery. He thought there were two revolutions for independence in the country: the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. He argued that Juneteenth would recognize independence in the same way the Fourth of July recognized independence. 11:35:01 AM EMILY KLOC, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of the bill. She thought it was important for Juneteenth to be recognized as a holiday. She thanked Senator Gray-Jackson and Ms. Odom for their hard work on the legislation. 11:35:58 AM BRENDA TYLER, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of the bill. The state must recognize and reflect on the history and the cost of freedom. Recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday would encourage Alaskans to never forget the events and horrors of slavery as well as the systemic setbacks still faced by African Americans in the present day. She shared that she was an African American and had lived in Alaska since 1981. She thanked Senator Gray-Jackson for her work on the bill. 11:36:55 AM Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony. Representative Hannan noted that Senator Gray-Jackson had mentioned legislation that had passed in 2001 [the aforementioned HB 100]. She asked for confirmation that the 2001 legislation would be repealed in SB 22 and how the legislation from 2001 intersected with SB 22. Senator Gray-Jackson replied that the 2001 legislation simply recognized Juneteenth as a holiday. Representative Hannan asked what the "repealer" in Section 3 of SB 22 would accomplish. Senator Gray-Jackson responded that she could not answer the question but would follow up with Representative Hannan. Representative Ortiz shared his appreciation for the bill and hoped it would be moved expeditiously. Representative Stapp asked how many other states had adopted Juneteenth as a paid holiday. Senator Gray-Jackson deferred the question to her staff. Ms. Odom responded that 27 states had adopted Juneteenth as a paid holiday. 11:40:22 AM Representative Josephson was grateful for the senator's efforts on the bill and remarked that it was the easiest "yes" vote he would cast in his life. He asked if employees would get the proceeding Friday off if Juneteenth fell on a Saturday. Senator Gray-Jackson replied in the affirmative. Co-Chair Foster noted that the committee had not planned to discuss the fiscal note, but indicated that Senator Gray- Jackson was welcome to discuss the fiscal note if she was ready. Senator Gray-Jackson replied that she was ready to address the fiscal note. She was ready to move the bill forward as quickly as possible. The bill came close to passing in 2023 and she hoped it could pass in the current year. Co-Chair Foster noted that the bill had been scheduled in the House Finance Committee in 2023 but extended budget debates prevented the committee from holding a meeting. Co-Chair Johnson asked about slide 3 of the presentation. She noted that some states indicated that there would be an observance of Juneteenth and others referred to Juneteenth as a holiday. She asked if there were different ways in which other states recognized the holiday. She wondered how Juneteenth was "added to the calendar" in various states. 11:43:18 AM Senator Gray-Jackson was not certain what Co-Chair Johnson meant by adding the holiday to a calendar. Co-Chair Johnson replied that she was wondering if there were different ways in which the holiday was added to state workers' calendars. She understood that the holiday would be added to the Alaska calendar as a paid day off. She read through the various ways other states referred to the holiday on slide 3. She asked if the senator could explain the different strategies because there had been discussion in other committees on the variety of ways to observe the holiday. Senator Gray-Jackson replied that Juneteenth was a paid holiday just like Christmas or the Fourth of July. She explained that it would be observed in the same manner as every other paid holiday that the state offered to its employees. Ms. Odom added that the purpose of the bill was to allow for Juneteenth to become a paid state holiday. She explained that the holiday would be handled similarly in Alaska as it was in New Mexico, which was detailed on slide 3 of the presentation. If Juneteenth became a state holiday, most workers would get the day off and most banks and state offices would be closed as well. She hoped that Co-Chair Johnson's question had been answered. Co-Chair Johnson responded that the response was sufficient and suggested that she could discuss with the sponsor the meaning of "observance" outside of the committee meeting. Her biggest concern about the bill was with the fiscal note and not with the terminology. Senator Gray-Jackson commented that "you cannot put a price on celebrating freedom." She noted that she had met with Representative Stapp many times outside of the committee meeting and had made the same comment to him. Representative Galvin understood that the federal government treated Juneteenth as a paid holiday already and the bill would allow Alaska to adhere to the observance of the holiday. She asked if she was correct in her understanding that it was already a day off for federal employees, but the bill would expand the paid day off to all employees. Senator Gray-Jackson replied that Juneteenth was already a federal holiday. The Municipality of Anchorage made it a paid holiday in 2023. She reiterated that if the bill were to pass, Juneteenth would become a paid state holiday. Representative Galvin commented that she completely supported the bill. 11:48:20 AM Co-Chair Foster noted that there were eight fiscal notes (copies on file) but a summary sheet of all of the fiscal notes had been distributed to committee members (copy on file) to streamline the process. He invited the senator to summarize the fiscal notes. Senator Gray-Jackson asked if she should go over each fiscal note. She would be happy to do so if it was the will of the committee. Co-Chair Foster suggested that the senator highlight any elements of the fiscal notes she found particularly important. Senator Gray-Jackson responded that she could offer the total fiscal cost of the bill as a starting point for the discussion. The fiscal impact of all eight fiscal notes combined would be $957,000. Representative Coulombe understood that eight departments would be impacted by the bill. She asked for clarification that the $957,000 was the cost of overtime pay that would be incurred for departments that would need employees to work on the holiday. Senator Gray-Jackson responded that Representative Coulombe was correct in her understanding. Representative Coulombe commented that she did not see any mention of the fiscal impact of managing the holiday. She asked if the fiscal notes were only covering the overtime pay. Senator Gray-Jackson responded in the affirmative. 11:51:46 AM Co-Chair Johnson asked for clarification that $957,000 reflected the total cost of the paid day off. She had previously understood that the cost was different than $957,000. Senator Gray-Jackson asked to what number Co-Chair Johnson was referring. The previous fiscal note was $1.2 million. Representative Stapp agreed that one could not put a price on freedom. Senator Gray-Jackson appreciated the comment. Co-Chair Foster asked if the senator had any closing comments. Senator Gray-Jackson responded that she did have closing comments, but first she would like her staff to respond to Representative Hannan's earlier question about the repealer. Ms. Odom relayed that the bill repealed AS 44.12.090, which was the existing statute around Juneteenth which said that the governor would issue a proclamation. She explained that if SB 22 became law, there would be no need for a proclamation because similar language would already be in statute. Representative Hannan shared that Juneteenth was one of 50 days that were acknowledged in state statute, but not considered a holiday. She thought it was time that Juneteenth was elevated to a state holiday. 11:54:11 AM Co-Chair Foster set an amendment deadline for Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. SB 22 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the afternoon meeting.