ASSEMBLY TOURISM, GAMING AND THE ARTS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 154

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 23, 2025

      The Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Resolution No. 154.

As amended by the committee, this resolution urges Congress to provide for a joint session at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.

     On June 25, 2024, House Congressional Resolution 115 was introduced in the 118th Congress, providing for a joint session of Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, July 2, 2026 in honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence. The joint session of Congress would take place at Independence Hall, formerly known as the Pennsylvania State House, where on July 4, 1776 the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence officially severed the 13 colonies’ ties to the British Crown.

     New Jersey played an important role in the American Revolution given its location between the British stronghold of New York and the patriot capital of Philadelphia. From the conclusion of the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 until the British formally surrendered at Yorktown in 1783, nearly 300 significant military engagements occurred within the State earning it the nickname “Crossroads of the American Revolution.” By the time the conflict officially ended, Washington spent more time in New Jersey than any other state. It was on July 8, 1776 that the Declaration of Independence received its first public reading in three places – Philadelphia and Easton in Pennsylvania, and Trenton in New Jersey.

     July 4, 2026 will serve as the semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary, of the founding of the United States. In honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence, it is fitting and proper for the two Houses of Congress to assemble in a joint session at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, July 2, 2026, for the purpose of commemorating the Declaration of Independence.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments urge the 119th Congress to reintroduce and swiftly pass Congressional House Resolution 115 from the 118th Congress, which provides for a joint session of Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, July 2, 2026 in honor of the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence.  The 119th Congress began on January 3, 2025 and has not yet introduced a resolution comparable to Congressional House Resolution 115 from the 118th Congress.