AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced today that the Senate will be honoring Opal Lee, the force behind the establishment of a federal Juneteenth holiday, on July 22nd. In making the announcement, Lt. Gov. Patrick said:

“Sen. Powell and I have been working on a ceremony to honor Opal Lee since before the Special Session convened. We have assigned Senate Resolution #19 especially for the event. We want to honor this amazing Texan for her perseverance in making Juneteenth not just a Texas holiday but also a federal holiday.”

Sen. Powell added that her office is also working on the details for the event:

“Having “Miss Opal” in my district is such an honor and I am so proud to host her at the Texas Capitol. Although we were not able to host Opal Lee today, there was never any doubt that we were moving forward with it. I look forward to introducing my famous constituent and our national treasure to my colleagues and presenting Senate Resolution #19 to honor her lifetime of work.”