State Rep. Josh Schriver today led the House in voting to repeal a state holiday in celebration of Cesar Chavez. 

House Bill 5836, introduced by Schriver, repeals the state’s designation of Cesar Chavez Day, following the reporting of credible and extensively documented allegations of sexual abuse. 

“The evidence against Chavez cannot be ignored,” said Schriver (R-Oxford). “We have detailed accounts from multiple women, including women who say they were abused as minors. As lawmakers, we owe it to victims to make sure that we are not using the state government to officially honor Chavez. Continuing to do so would be hypocritical to our standards of accountability, and it would be an insult to his victims.” 

Schriver continued by emphasizing that this rescission does not mitigate the recognition of the farmworker movement.  

“We are not here to erase the history of American farmworkers,” said Schriver. “This is about separating the dignity of farmworkers from the legacy of Chavez that has been permanently disgraced. We owe it to both victims and laborers to ensure that Chavez no longer receives recognition at the state level.” 

The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.