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The Alabama Legislature created two new holidays honoring African American culture on May 7, 2025, when HB165 passed the Alabama Senate during the day before the final day of the 2025 Legislative Session.
First the bill recognizes Juneteenth as a state holiday beginning June 19, 2025, meaning all state offices will be closed.
Additionally, the bill designates the first day in December of each year as Mrs. Rosa L. Parks Day in this state. Although the bill did not authorize the closure of state offices, it did open the door for that in the future and allows for municipalities to make their own decisions regarding how to observe the day saying: “each county and municipality may elect to observe Mrs. Rosa L. Parks Day as a holiday."
The bill acknowledges the significant contribution that Parks made to Alabama and the world.
“All citizens of this state are requested to devote some portion of Mrs. Rosa L. Parks Day to commemorate the accomplishments of Mrs. Rosa L. Parks, a woman of great courage, vision, love, and faith who helped usher in the modern civil rights movement on December 1, 1955, by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Each resident of this state is requested to observe the day with appropriate activities,” the bill states.
Furthermore, the bill gives schoolchildren two additional holidays which already were observed by state employees but may not have been honored by public school systems and public colleges.
In addition to state offices, Veterans’ Day will now be observed by county and municipal offices, and all public K-12 schools.
Likewise, Memorial Day shall be observed by the closing of all public k-12 schools and all public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education.
The bill also clears up the Mardi Gras advantage for state employees living in Baldwin and Mobile counties, who receive paid leave for the holiday.
This bill provides all state employees working outside of Baldwin or Mobile counties with an additional personal leave day beginning Jan. 1, 2026. However, this day must be used by December 31 of each year and cannot be carried over like regular personal leave or sick time.
After the governor signs the bill, it will become effective on June 1, 2025.
