Uniform Monday Holiday Act


The Uniform Monday Holiday Act is an Act of Congress that moved permanently to a Monday three Federal holidays in the United States -- Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, and Labor Day -- and that made Columbus Day a federal holiday, also permanently on a Monday. This created long weekends with three days off ending with the holidays, such as Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.
Veterans Day was moved from November 11 to the fourth Monday in October but in 1978 it was returned to November 11, the actual date of the end of World War I and celebrated in several European countries as Armistice Day.
The Act was signed into law on June 28, 1968, and took effect on January 1, 1971.

Background

The Act was designed to increase the number of three-day weekends for federal employees, a favorite goal of the travel industry. Veterans Day was removed from this list of "always-on-Monday" holidays when it was moved back to its traditional date of November 11, by act of Congress in 1975, effective 1978.
This Act did not officially change the name of Washington's Birthday to "Presidents Day", nor did it combine Washington's Birthday with Lincoln's Birthday. This despite the suggestion that those two changes be made. Many U.S. states have adopted some version of the "Presidents Day" name. The perception that the name was changed stems from the fact that the act placed federal observance of Washington's Birthday in the week of February 15 to 21 and, since that week always falls between Lincoln's birthday and Washington's, but never includes either date, popular references have given rise to the title, which recognizes both Presidents. a dozen U.S. states officially refer to the holiday as "Presidents' Day."
Though the holiday was not in existence at the time, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday is celebrated on the third Monday in January, which falls on January 15–21, instead of King's actual birth date, January 15, for the same reasons.

Effects

The Monday holiday dates this act established are: