On June 16, 2021, Governor Ige designated June 19 as Juneteenth to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.  Although the measure does not recognize Juneteenth as a State holiday, President Biden signed an Act on June 17, designating June 19 as a federal holiday.  Because June 19 fell on a Saturday this year, Juneteenth was recognized on Friday, June 18, 2021.

On June 17, HEC conducted an informal HEC Pulse Survey asking HEC members’ primary HR contact whether their organization planned to recognize Friday, June 18, 2021, as a holiday.  136 responses were received from the poll conducted on the HEC website.  Respondents could only select one of the six options.

With the announcement of the federal Juneteenth holiday just one day prior to its observance, employers had very little time to react and make changes for 2021.  However, changes in 2022 appear to be more likely.