IMF H.B. 1216 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS STATE AFFAIRS H.B. 1216 By: Edwards 4-19-97 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Juneteenth commemorates the arrival of President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in Texas on June 19, 1865, belatedly bringing about the freeing of approximately 250,000 slaves. Since that time the anniversary of this occasion has been celebrated by Texans through festivals, political rallies, and in 1979, a state holiday. African-Americans in several local communities gathered funds to purchase Emancipation Parks to provide a location for the celebrations, the most famous one, in Houston, was established in 1872. In Austin, Juneteenth was first celebrated in 1867 under the direction of the Freedman's Bureau. In order to catalog and commemorate the history behind the anniversary, this bill would create the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission. PURPOSE This bill relates to the creation and operation of the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill expressly grants rulemaking authority to the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission in SECTION 1 (Sec. 448.031(1), Government Code) of the bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subtitle D, Title 4, Government Code by adding Chapter 448 to read as follows: Sec. 448.001. Definitions. Sec. 448.002. Makes commission subject to sunset review, and provides that it will be abolished September 1, 2001, unless continued as provided by the Texas Sunset Act. Sec. 448.003-Sec. 448.030 Composition and administration of commission. Commission to be composed of six public members appointed by the governor, two senate members, two house members, and the executive director of the Texas Historical Commission. Sec. 448.031. Directs the commission to adopt rules, coordinate state and local Juneteenth celebrations, establish a Juneteenth memorial, and to encourage organization of individual, private, and public activities. Sec. 448.032-Sec. 448.033. Allows the commission to accept gifts and creates an account in the General Revenue fund for deposit of such gifts. SECTION 2. Instructs the governor to appoint, as soon as possible after the act becomes effective, the initial public members of the Texas Emancipation Juneteenth Cultural and Historical Commission. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1997. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.