A new bill filed in the Kentucky House of Representatives would strike three Confederate holidays from Kentucky’s statute on public holidays.
Robert E. Lee Day, Confederate Memorial Day, and Jefferson Davis Day are currently official holidays in Kentucky, and are days “on which all the public offices of this commonwealth may be closed,” as state law currently reads.
Democratic State Rep. Chad Aull, a freshman lawmaker from Lexington, wants to amend Kentucky’s holiday statute to derecognize the Confederate celebrations. He introduced House Bill 211this month to codify the change. Aull said he became aware of the issue after a constituent informed him of the holidays while canvassing ahead of the 2022 election.
“I jotted that down and once I got past my race, I looked into it,” Aull said.
Aull said he was shocked to discover the holidays honoring the Confederate president and military chief in addition to Confederate Memorial Day. That holiday was created by states throughout the South during the height of the Jim Crow era, when groups including the United Daughters of the Confederacy sought to create a revisionist form of Civil War history that downplayed the role of slavery in the conflict. Kentucky celebrates Confederate Memorial Day despite never joining the Confederate States, and remaining largely under Union control for most of the war.
Some former Confederate states have begun ditching their ties with Confederate holidays. Louisiana, Georgia, and Virginia have taken the step in recent years, leaving Confederate celebrations on the books in 10 other Southern states including Kentucky.
“There’s a track record of other Southern states passing this same type of legislation, so I think we should follow suit,” Aull said.
Aull’s bill is not the first effort on Confederate holidays in Frankfort. Republican-sponsored bills on the issue died or faced withdrawal in recent sessions of the General Assembly. In a session where GOP legislative leaders have signaled reluctance at giving floor time to non-priority bills, Aull said he recognizes his bill could have a similar fate. However, he said he plans to keep reaching across the aisle in search of Republican co-sponsors.
“My hope is that this can be a bipartisan piece of legislation,” Aull said. “This is sitting in the Committee on Committees, so I’m waiting for it to be assigned. Hopefully it gets a hearing during the session.”
Aull said he expects the bill to pass eventually, even if the current iteration fails to make it to the governor’s desk.
The 2023 legislative session will end March 30.
