AUSTIN, Texas — A bill filed in the Texas Legislature would allow Texans to buy fireworks in celebration of Juneteenth.
House Bill 554 by state Rep. Terri Leo Wilson (R-Galveston) would let fireworks be sold from June 14 through June 19.
Right now, Texans can only buy fireworks around the holidays of the Fourth of July, New Year’s and, for Texans who live near the Texas-Mexico border, Cinco de Mayo.
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, when slaves on Galveston Island learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves were free – more than two years after it was signed.
“Juneteenth is not just remembered; it’s felt in every resilient wave that comes to shore and every brick that has lined our historic streets,” said Wilson. “Sorry, I love my home. It is where freedom’s first message took hold on our island, and it really becomes alive during Juneteenth.”
As of Monday, March 17, the bill was left pending in a subcommittee, which means lawmakers will decide whether to advance it at a later time.