by Karl Kurtz
An AP story today, headlined in the New York Times as "Utah Lawmakers Remain King-Holiday Holdouts," reports as if Utah, the last state to adopt Martin Luther King Day as a holiday, is the only one in which the state legislature is meeting today. In fact there are 11 other state legislatures (Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming) that routinely meet on this holiday. Most of them mark the day with speeches and ceremonies in memory of Dr. King, as they do in Utah.
Most of the state legislatures on this list have very short sessions mandated in their state constitutions. For example, Virginia is required to finish its session within 30 calendar days, Utah in 45, and Florida and New Mexico in 60. Unlike the U.S. House Democrats and their "100 hour" campaign, these limits are not days in session but rather calendar days. Their session clock is ticking whether or not they take today off. In fact, toward the end of session, many of these legislatures work through weekends and don't take any time off (including President's Day).
The only thing that is unique about Utah is that by state constitution the legislature convenes for the first time on the third Monday in January, the same date as the MLK holiday. There's always lots of pomp and circumstance in the opening day of any legislature. If they use the occasion in Utah to celebrate Dr. King with speeches and ceremonies, aren't they doing just as much to honor his memory?
Comments