U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa wants to move the date of Memorial Day to encourage more Americans to focus on honoring military service members.
The congresswoman from Hawaii planned to introduce a bill Thursday changing Memorial Day from the last Monday of the month to May 30th.
Hanabusa says “many Americans have begun to celebrate the long weekend as the beginning of summer rather than honoring those who died courageously in battle.”
The weekend is known for shopping and leisure activities as well as memorial services.
Hanabusa says the holiday was originally celebrated on May 30th until Congress changed the date in 1968.
She says she is carrying on the effort of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye from Hawaii, who advocated a date change during his career.