Alabama is currently one of only three states that observe a combined Martin Luther King Jr./Robert E. Lee holiday.

That number could soon drop to two.

Arkansas legislators are once again considering doing away with the joint celebration for King, the black civil-rights leader, and Lee, a white general who directed forces in the Army of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi are the only states that still combine the two days as part of their official celebrations. The holidays are held on the third Monday of January and result in the closure of state and local offices, courts and schools.

Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson said he has "long been a supporter" of separating the two holidays.

"I think this provides our state an opportunity to bridge divides," Hutchinson said.

Lee was born on Jan. 19, 1807; King was born on Jan. 15, 1929. The King holiday was moved to Monday after the 1971 implementation of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which put the observance of some holidays on Mondays to allow for three-day weekends.

Arkansas has had a holiday in honor of Lee since 1947 and one for King since 1983, combining the two in 1985. The bill currently under consideration would not create a new holiday for Lee.

Similar legislation introduced in recent sessions of the Arkansas Legislature has failed.

No bill filed in Alabama

While Arkansas considers doing away with the joint holiday, no such efforts are underway in Alabama or Mississippi.

Alabama and Mississippi have commemorated Lee's birthday since the 1800s and King's since 1983. The Lee/King holiday is one of three Confederate-related days on Alabama's official holiday calendar. The state also marks Confederate Memorial Day on the fourth Monday in April and the birthday of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis on the first Monday in June.

A holiday with many names

The city of Biloxi, Mississippi recently came under fire for a tweet that said municipal offices would be closed Jan. 16 for "Great Americans Day."

The city said the state of Mississippi selected the designation "Great Americans Day," but the office of Mississippi's Secretary of State lists the day as a joint King/Lee holiday only. Biloxi Mayor Andrew Gilich later said he considers that day "Martin Luther King Jr. Day," and the city would change its ordinances to reflect that.

There are variations in how states officially refer to the holiday. In Arizona, it's known as "Martin Luther King Jr./Civil Rights Day;" in Idaho, it's "Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day;" and in New Hampshire it's "Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day."