WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill Tuesday night that would make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

The vote advances the bill to the House of Representatives, where it’s expected to pass due to overwhelming support from Democrats. If the bill passes the House, it will make its way to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865, when slaves were freed in Galveston, Texas two years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980, and 46 states have made it a holiday since, including Louisiana.