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Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

Public Law 117-17 · S. 475 · 117th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jun 17, 2021 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Sponsor: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA)

Cosponsors (60): Sen. Cory Booker,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 415 yea, 14 nay415–14
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

This bill establishes Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19, as a legal public holiday.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 415 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

415 yea14 nay2 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(220)

Republicans who voted yea(195)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 169 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 1320Related bill

    Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

  • H.Res. 479Procedurally-related

    Providing for consideration of the bill (S. 475) to amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.

  1. Jun 17, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-17.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jun 16, 2021FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 415 - 14 (Roll no. 170).House roll call 170
  6. FloorFloor · The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  7. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on S. 475.
  8. FloorFloor · Rule provides for consideration of S. 475 with 1 hour of general debate. The resolution provides for one motion to commit.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 479.
  10. FloorFloor · Rule H. Res. 479 passed House.
  11. FloorFloor · Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 479 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of S. 475 with 1 hour of general debate. The resolution provides for one motion to commit.
  12. FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  13. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  14. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  15. Jun 15, 2021FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  17. Feb 25, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  18. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.