All three U.S. House members representing Polk County voted in favor of a bill to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
The bill passed 415-14 on Wednesday in the House of Representatives, and all those opposing it were Republicans. Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, all voted for its passage. The measure had previously passed in the Senate on a voice vote.
Juneteenth, first celebrated in Texas, recognizes June 19, 1865, the day when a Union general proclaimed the end of slavery in the state, three years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
(Visited 150 times, 1 visits today)