On January 1, 1863, slavery was legally ended in the rebelling states following the Emancipation Proclamation, which was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.  In practice, however, due to the technology at the time, as well as the ongoing Civil War, slavery did not end in the United States until June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, where he announced that both the Civil War and slavery ended.

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the

Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of

personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves and the

connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired

labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages.

They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and they will

not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

Even after this announcement, though, many of the 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas remained enslaved.  This includes at least 150,000 slaves who had been brought over to Texas following the capture of New Orleans in 1862.

The first celebration of Juneteenth was held on June 19, 1866 in Texas. This celebration largely consisted of community-centric events, like parades, cookouts, prayer gatherings, historical and cultural readings, and musical performances. At many of these events, former slaves would speak about their time in enslavement. A number of these communities would even purchase land for Juneteenth celebrations, with examples including Emancipation Park in Houston and Emancipation Park in Austin.

Many of these celebrations continued into the early 20^th century, with African Americans treating the day like the Fourth of July. Overtime, the celebration of Juneteenth spread to other parts of the country as African Americans migrated out of Texas. By the Second World War, however, many of these celebrations began to decline. While celebrations for Juneteenth began to wane during the 1950s to the 1970s, in 1980, Texas became the first state in the country to make Juneteenth a state holiday, with most states soon making state holidays for Juneteenth as well. With the signing of S.475, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, by President Biden on June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday as well.

For more information on Juneteenth, check out these resources:

S.475 – Juneteenth National Independence Day Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475/text

What Is Juneteenth? https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/

Juneteenth https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/juneteenth.html

JUNETEENTH AND GENERAL ORDER NO. 3 https://www.galvestonhistory.org/news/juneteenth-and-general-order-no-3

Juneteenth: US to add federal holiday marking end of slavery https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57493282

Juneteenth: Fact Sheet https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R44865.pdf

Gov. Mike Dunleavy called a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Don Young, who died on March 18.

The special all-party primary election will be held on June 11. The top four candidates will advance to the August 16 general election.

The election marks the first time Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system will be used, meaning voters will be able to rank their preferred candidates.

Additionally, August 16 is the open-primary election for the next two-year term, in which the top four candidates from this election will be able to move onto the November 8 general election.

Candidates are eligible to run in both elections.

The Hawaii State Ethics Commission welcomed Robert D. Harris as its new executive director.

Harris is replacing Daniel Gluck, who served as the executive director from 2016 until the end of 2021.

Last year Gluck was nominated to a vacancy on the Intermediate Court of Appeals, but the nomination failed after senators raised concerns about the court’s lack of diversity.

Early voting for Austin, Texas’s District 4 election has begun.

The election was called following Greg Casar’s announcement he will be running for Congress in District 35.

Early voting will be open until January 21, with polls closed on January 17 in observation of Martin Luther King Day.

The election will be held on Tuesday, January 25.

Leading up to the January 19 start date of the 2022 legislative session, Hawaii state leaders in the Senate and House have announced the state Capitol will be closed to the public due to rising concerns over the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

This announcement follows increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases across the state because of the Delta and Omicron variants.

The Capitol’s status will be reevaluated in the following weeks.

Additionally, the Senate and House floor sessions and hearings will be held remotely. There will be an announcement explaining how the public can submit testimony during this time.

The New Mexico State Ethics Commission is proposing additional disclosure laws to require legislators to release more about the sources of their personal income and business relationships.

Additionally, the commission would like to increase transparency requirements for lobbyists by requiring disclosure of what bills and provisions they are advocating for or against.

Lastly, because some lawmakers are married to lobbyists, a proposed change would require lawmakers to disclose before voting if any family member lobbied on a bill.

It is unclear if these proposals will be heard during the 30-day legislative session, starting January 18.

On August 27, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts called for a special session to begin September 13 for the purposes of redistricting.

New boundaries are expected for state legislative, judicial, and congressional districts.

The does affect lobbyist reporting.

A special lobbying activity report will be due October 15 for expenses over $5,000.

Lobbyists must also file a list of the bills lobbied and the position on each within 45 days after the end of the special session.

On August 19, the Texas House of Representatives once again held quorum for the first time in over a month.

With the House in quorum, lawmakers can take up several bills including House Bill 77 and 87.

House Bill 77 prohibits the use of public funds by political subdivisions for the purposes of lobbying activities.

House Bill 87 places limitations on campaign contributions to state candidates from persons and committees.

On August 16, the Ethics Review Board of New Orleans voted unanimously to recommend the city’s Code of Ethics be revised to bar City Council members and candidates from accepting political contributions from utility firms regulated by the city.

These firms would include Entergy New Orleans, Cox Communications, and any vendor that works on a contract awarded by the City Council or the Sewerage and Water Board.

Additionally, the recommended rule would ban contributions from any political action committee or executive staff member of the firms.

On August 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an early election to be held on September 20.

The election is being called in the hopes voters will approve of his government’s post-pandemic recovery plan.

Previously, the next state fixed-date election was set for 2023.

The campaign is to last 36 days.

Texas Gov. Abbott announced a special election on November 2 for eight proposed constitutional amendments approved by the Texas Legislature during the 87th session.

The amendments include a prohibition on state or local restrictions on religious services and a provision allowing certain charitable raffles at rodeo venues.

On August 6, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a special election for State House District 10 is to be held on August 31 to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Representative Jake Ellzey to the 6th Congressional District on July 27.

As of the candidate filing deadline of August 12, there are a total of eight candidates running for this seat.

If necessary, a special general runoff election will be scheduled.

The winning candidate will serve the remainder of Ellzey’s term through January 2023.

State Senator Otoniel “Tony” Navarrete of Arizona resigned on August 10, following his arrest on felony charges involving sexual abuse of two minors.

The resignation was immediately effective.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will choose a replacement from a list of nominees presented by a citizens’ committee.

The replacement will serve out the rest of Navarrete’s term, which ends in January 2023.

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia adjourned for the summer on June 17th.

The 2021 spring legislative session saw the Assembly primarily tackling issues relating to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This includes measures that would keep people safe and enable a strong economic recovery.

The Assembly is scheduled to reconvene on October 4. This does not affect lobbyist reporting.