S.J.Res. 45: A joint resolution amending title 36, United States Code, to designate June 19 as "Juneteenth Independence Day".

112th Congress · introduced 2012-06-19 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2012-06-19 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Hutchison, Kay Bailey [R-TX] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A joint resolution amending title 36, United States Code, to designate June 19 as "Juneteenth Independence Day".

Plain summary

Designates June 19 as an annual day of patriotic and national observance for Juneteenth Independence Day. (On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved African Americans were free.) Requests that the President issue a proclamation each year calling on state and local governments and the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A joint resolution amending title 36, United States Code, to designate June 19 as "Juneteenth Independence Day".

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Hutchison, Kay Bailey [R-TX] · 30 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Joint resolution: In Texas, the type of measure the Legislature uses to propose a constitutional amendment (marked HJR or SJR). The governor does not sign or veto it; the voters decide. In Congress a joint resolution can also be used like a bill. In Florida, a joint resolution passed by three-fifths of the members of each chamber puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112sjres45.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/sjres>

Record fed-us-cong112-sjres45 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112