LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is signing a bill into law on Tuesday (March 21) that will separate the days honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee.
Hutchinson has supported the bill since it was filed on Tuesday (Feb. 28), and he said he would sign it shortly after it passed the Arkansas Legislature on Friday (March 17).
You can watch him sign it live here:
Senate Bill 519 will move recognition for Robert E. Lee from the third Monday in January to the second Saturday in October. The third Monday in January is designated as the remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
In addition to moving the remembrance of Robert E. Lee’s birthday to October, the bill would also require the state department of education to develop curriculum to teach students about the historical contributions of African Americans starting in the 2018-2019 school year.