LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state offices will close Friday in anticipation of a new federal law that will establish Juneteenth as a recognized government holiday.
Gov. Pete Ricketts ordered the closure to comply with a state law that grants the same paid holiday benefits to state employees.
State employees will receive a paid day of leave. Exceptions may include law enforcement, security, military and state employees engaged in other essential functions.
The governor’s office said in a press release that all workers should receive official instruction from their agency director or personnel representative.
Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865.