Louisiana House Votes to End Confederate Holidays for Good
Did you know that there are a couple of Confederate holidays on the official Louisiana calendar? Apparently, January 19th is Robert E Lee Day, and Confederate Memorial Day is on April 26th every year. While those holidays don't exactly get the attention that Mardi Gras and Independence Day get, they are no less technically on the same footing (as far as official Louisiana calendar is concerned). That could all change very soon, thanks to a new bill that just passed its first hurdle on the way to becoming an official Louisiana Law.
It's no secret that the Civil War is still a sore subject in some aspects here. If you don't believe me, just look at the legal wrangling we've seen over the past couple of years just trying to remove the Confederate War Memorial from in front of the Caddo Parish Courthouse. That fight has been going on for years, and the sculpture has moved exactly zero inches from its very controversial resting place.
According to a report from the Star Tribune, the bill to completely remove all traces of the Confederacy from the official Louisiana calendar has passed the vote in the State House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote of 62-20 with 23 members absent or who refused to vote.
The bill will now move on the the Louisiana State Senate for a vote there. If it passes, the measure will move on to Governor John Bel Edwards desk for final approval.