S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9155
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 31, 2022
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to designating January
sixth as "Democracy Day"
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds and declares
the following:
1. On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, the President of the United States
at the time, Donald J. Trump, members of his administration and presi-
dential campaign, and several Republican Members of Congress, directly
incited and encouraged an armed and violent insurrection against the
government of the United States, with the express purpose of preventing
the peaceful transfer of power and overturning the results of a free and
fair election.
2. In the months leading up to January 6th, the former President,
members of his administration, and numerous elected members of his
party, intentionally spread false and inflammatory claims regarding the
legitimacy of the election, and both implicitly and explicitly promised
violent or armed opposition to prevent the election from being certified
and the President-Elect from taking office.
3. In the course of their attack, the insurrectionists trespassed on
and destroyed Federal property, including flagrantly looting the Capi-
tol, and openly bragged about their exploits on social media. The
attackers carried white supremacist symbols including the flag known as
the "Confederate battle flag," as well as anti-Semitic and fascist
symbols including swastikas. At the same time as many were carrying
these symbols of the enemies of the United States, some of the attackers
were observed removing the flag of the United States, throwing it to the
ground, and replacing it with a flag bearing the name of President
Donald J. Trump.
4. One hundred thirty-eight police officers were injured defending the
Capitol, and four insurrectionists and a Capitol Police officer died. In
the months that followed the attack, four additional Capitol Police
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14184-05-2
A. 9155 2
officers died by suicide. More than seven hundred people have been
arrested in connection with the attack, however those most responsible
have avoided accountability.
5. It is the intent of the legislature to establish an annual day of
commemoration to be known as Democracy Day, to honor those who were
wounded or died as a result of defending the Capitol, reiterate the need
to protect and strengthen our democratic institutions, and recognize the
ongoing threat of anti-democratic, white nationalist, and authoritarian
movements in the United States.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law, as amended
by chapter 237 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as follows:
3. The following days shall be days of commemoration in each year:
January sixth, to be known as "Haym Salomon Day", AND ALSO TO BE KNOWN
AS "DEMOCRACY DAY", January twenty-seventh, to be known as "Holocaust
Remembrance Day", February fourth, to be known as "Rosa Parks Day",
February fifteenth, to be known as "Susan B. Anthony Day", February
sixteenth, to be known as "Lithuanian Independence Day", February twen-
ty-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans' Day", March fourth, to be
known as "Pulaski Day", March tenth, to be known as "Harriet Tubman
Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veterans' Day", April
ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition Day", April twenty-seventh, to be
known as "Coretta Scott King Day", April twenty-eighth, to be known as
"Workers' Memorial Day", the first Tuesday in May to be known as "New
York State Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to be known as "Thurgood Mars-
hall Day", the first Sunday in June, to be known as "Children's Day",
June second, to be known as "Italian Independence Day", June twelfth, to
be known as "Women Veterans Recognition Day", June nineteenth, to be
known as "Juneteenth Freedom Day", June twenty-fifth, to be known as
"Korean War Veterans' Day", the second Monday in July, to be known as
"Abolition Commemoration Day", August twenty-fourth, to be known as
"Ukrainian Independence Day", August twenty-sixth, to be known as
"Women's Equality Day", September eleventh, to be known as "Battle of
Plattsburgh Day" and also to be known as "September 11th Remembrance
Day", September thirteenth, to be known as "John Barry Day" and also to
be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the State of New York", September seven-
teenth, to be known as "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Memorial Day", the
third Friday in September to be known as "New York State POW/MIA Recog-
nition Day" except if such date of commemoration cannot be observed due
to a religious holiday, such observances shall then be conducted on the
second Friday of September, the last Saturday in September, to be known
as "War of 1812 Day", the fourth Saturday of September, known as
"Native-American Day", the last Sunday in September, to be known as
"Gold Star Mothers' Day", October fifth, to be known as "Raoul Wallen-
berg Day", October eleventh, to be known as "New Netherland Day in the
State of New York", October eighteenth, to be known as "Disabilities
History Day", October twenty-seventh, to be known as "Theodore Roosevelt
Day", November ninth, to be known as "Witness for Tolerance Day", Novem-
ber twelfth, to be known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the third
Tuesday in November to be known as "New York State School-Related
Professionals Recognition Day", November thirtieth, to be known as
"Shirley Chisholm Day", December third, to be known as "International
Day of Persons with Disabilities", December seventh, to be known as
"Pearl Harbor Day", December sixteenth, to be known as "Bastogne Day"
and that day of the Asian lunar calendar designated as new year to be
known as "Asian New Year".
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.