NY State Senate Bill 2023-S2743

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to education
Jan 24, 2023	referred to education

co-Sponsors

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2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §3204-a, amd §3604, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S7002
2015-2016: S6928
2017-2018: S1513
2019-2020: S2776
2021-2022: S5709

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the Diwali school holiday in certain qualifying school districts to commemorate the Hindu festival of lights.

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2743

SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the Diwa-
li school holiday

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds new section 3204-a to the Education Law, requiring that
the fifteenth day of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik, known as
Lakshmi Puja, shall be a school holiday for any or all 'schools in a
qualified school district where the board of education or trustees
determines such schools have a significant South Asian population.
Qualified school districts shall include a city school district for a
city having a population of one million or more inhabitants and having
an Asian population equal to or greater than 7.5 percent, as identified
by the United States census bureau in the most recent decennial United
States census. However, in the event that New York State of the United
States census bureau collects population data which denotes the number
of citizen of Asian-Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepali,Myanmari,
Bhutanese ,Indo-Caribbean which includes Guyanese and Trinidadians and

Sri Lankan descent, then a qualified school district shall include a
city school district for a city having a population of one million or
more inhabitants and having a South Asian population equal to or greater
than 3 percent.

Section 2 adds new subdivision 7-c to section 3604 of the Education Law,
allowing the commissioner to count any such school holidays as a school
session day.

Section 3 states that this act shall take effect on the one hundred
twentieth day after it shall have become law; provided that any and all
rules and regulations and any other measures necessary to implement any
provision of this act on its effective date may be promulgated and
taken, respectively, on or before such effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York is home to a wide variety of religions and ethnicities, each
with their own set of holidays and festivals. When such holidays and
festivals fall on school days, many teachers, and parents are required
to choose between a school absence and not celebrating important
cultural or religious observances. New York is home to many residents of
South-Asian descent. Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the third day of the
five-day festival of Diwali and is considered the most significant part
of the festival. Hindus, Sikhs, and Jainists observe it. Allowing such a
school holiday demonstrates the importance of New York's culture diver-
sity and the significance of its South-Asian community. This recognition
is already afforded to other ethnic and religious groups in New York.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S5709A (2022)

A631 (2017)

A902 (2015)
A9565 (2013)

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become law; provided that any and all rules and regulations
and any other measures necessary to implement any provision of this at
on its effective date may be promulgated and taken, respectively, on or
before such effective date.

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2743
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. COMRIE, LIU, PERSAUD, RAMOS, STAVISKY -- read twice
   and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the Diwa-
   li school holiday
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3204-a
 to read as follows:
   §  3204-A.   HINDU FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS SCHOOL HOLIDAY. 1. THE FIFTEENTH
 DAY OF THE HINDU LUNISOLAR MONTH OF KARTIK, KNOWN AS LAKSHMI PUJA, SHALL
 BE A SCHOOL HOLIDAY FOR  ANY  OR  ALL  SCHOOLS  IN  A  QUALIFIED  SCHOOL
 DISTRICT  WHERE  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  OR  TRUSTEES DETERMINES SUCH
 SCHOOLS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT SOUTH-ASIAN POPULATION.
   2. A QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, FOR PURPOSES OF  THIS  SECTION,  SHALL
 INCLUDE  A  CITY  SCHOOL  DISTRICT  OF A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE
 MILLION OR MORE INHABITANTS AND HAVING AN ASIAN POPULATION EQUAL  TO  OR
 GREATER  THAN  SEVEN  AND  ONE-HALF  PERCENT.  THE ASIAN POPULATION, FOR
 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, SHALL INCLUDE THOSE PERSONS, ADULTS AND  CHIL-
 DREN,  WHO ARE FULLY OR PARTIALLY OF ASIAN DESCENT AND SHALL INCLUDE ALL
 THOSE PERSONS AND ETHNIC GROUPS IDENTIFIED AS ASIAN BY THE UNITED STATES
 CENSUS BUREAU IN THE MOST RECENT DECENNIAL UNITED STATES CENSUS.  IN THE
 EVENT THAT THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR  THE  UNITED  STATES  CENSUS  BUREAU
 COLLECTS  POPULATION  DATA  FOR  THE STATE OF NEW YORK WHICH DENOTES THE
 NUMBER OF CITIZENS  OF  ASIAN-INDIAN,  BANGLADESHI,  PAKISTANI,  NEPALI,
 MYANMARI, BHUTANESE, INDO-CARIBBEAN WHICH INCLUDES GUYANESE AND TRINIDA-
 DIANS,  AND  SRI  LANKAN DESCENT, THEN A QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL
 INCLUDE A CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF A CITY  HAVING  A  POPULATION  OF  ONE
 MILLION OR MORE INHABITANTS AND HAVING A SOUTH ASIAN POPULATION, INCLUD-
 ING  ASIAN-INDIAN,  BANGLADESHI, PAKISTANI, NEPALI, MYANMARI, BHUTANESE,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04376-01-3
 S. 2743                             2

 
 INDO-CARIBBEAN WHICH INCLUDES GUYANESE AND TRINIDADIANS, AND SRI  LANKAN
 EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THREE PERCENT.
   3. THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES OF EVERY QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE HERE-
 BY  AUTHORIZED  AND  DIRECTED  TO  CAUSE  ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITHIN SUCH
 DISTRICT TO BE CLOSED ON LAKSHMI PUJA, DURING THE FESTIVAL OF DIWALI.
   § 2. Section 3604 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 7-a to read as follows:
   7-A.  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, FOR PURPOSES OF ANY
 CALCULATION UNDER SUBDIVISION  SEVEN  OR  EIGHT  OF  THIS  SECTION,  THE
 COMMISSIONER  SHALL DISREGARD ANY REDUCTION RESULTING FROM OBSERVANCE OF
 LAKSHMI PUJA, DURING THE FESTIVAL OF  DIWALI  AND,  IF  NECESSARY,  SUCH
 OBSERVED HOLIDAY SHALL BE CALCULATED AS A SESSION DAY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
 completed on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S2743

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S2743

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

Jeremy A. Cooney

John C. Liu

Roxanne J. Persaud

Jessica Ramos

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S2743 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments