NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9960
SPONSOR: Reyes TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to the designation of
Mother Language Day as a day of commemoration
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish an official day that commemorates linguistic and cultural
diversity, and multilingualism through the designation of February twen-
ty-first as Mother Language Day.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one amends subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law
to declare the twenty-first of February a day of commemoration in each
year, to be known as Mother Language Day.
Section two establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Mother Language Day is a global day celebrated on February 21st, which
promotes awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote
multilingualism in our society. Celebrated annually since 1999, Interna-
tional Mother Language Day marks a call to action to promote the preser-
vation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world.
Currently, this holiday is celebrated in the countries of Chile, Russia,
the Philippines, Egypt and Canada, and it is widely observed and commem-
orated in several others.
The concept of Mother Language Day originated in Bangladesh, as the
country's successful movement for independence from Pakistan was predi-
cated on the struggle for language access and recognition for Bangla-
speaking persons. In 1953, when Bangladesh achieved their independence,
one of the first holidays that the country declared was Mother Language
Day, to cherish and promote understanding of how language and culture
are intertwined. Given New York State's rich population of Bangladeshi-
Americans and bilingual/multilingual persons that have immigrated from
other countries, it is time for New York to officially recognize Mother
Language Day as an official holiday.
This legislation will commemorate our state's historic and current lead-
ership in the advancement of language and culutural awareness by recog-
nizing February 21st, Mother Language Day, as a day of commemoration
each year.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
N/A
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9960
IN ASSEMBLY
April 26, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. REYES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the designation of
Mother Language Day as a day of commemoration
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law, as
2 amended by chapter 652 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 3. The following days shall be days of commemoration in each year:
5 January sixth, to be known as "Haym Salomon Day", January twenty-sev-
6 enth, to be known as "Holocaust Remembrance Day", February fourth, to be
7 known as "Rosa Parks Day", February fifteenth, to be known as "Susan B.
8 Anthony Day", February sixteenth, to be known as "Lithuanian Independ-
9 ence Day", February twenty-first, to be known as "Mother Language Day",
10 February twenty-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans' Day", March
11 fourth, to be known as "Pulaski Day", March eighth, to be known as
12 "International Women's Day", March tenth, to be known as "Harriet Tubman
13 Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veterans' Day", April
14 ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition Day", April twenty-seventh, to be
15 known as "Coretta Scott King Day", April twenty-eighth, to be known as
16 "Workers' Memorial Day", the first Tuesday in May to be known as "New
17 York State Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to be known as "Thurgood Mars-
18 hall Day", the first Sunday in June, to be known as "Children's Day",
19 June second, to be known as "Italian Independence Day", June twelfth, to
20 be known as "Women Veterans Recognition Day", June nineteenth, to be
21 known as "Juneteenth Freedom Day", June twenty-fifth, to be known as
22 "Korean War Veterans' Day", the second Monday in July, to be known as
23 "Abolition Commemoration Day", August twenty-fourth, to be known as
24 "Ukrainian Independence Day", August twenty-sixth, to be known as
25 "Women's Equality Day", September eleventh, to be known as "Battle of
26 Plattsburgh Day" and also to be known as "September 11th Remembrance
27 Day", September thirteenth, to be known as "John Barry Day" and also to
28 be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the State of New York", September seven-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15226-01-4
A. 9960 2
1 teenth, to be known as "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Memorial Day", the
2 third Friday in September to be known as "New York State POW/MIA Recog-
3 nition Day" except if such date of commemoration cannot be observed due
4 to a religious holiday, such observances shall then be conducted on the
5 second Friday of September, the last Saturday in September, to be known
6 as "War of 1812 Day", the fourth Saturday of September, known as
7 "Native-American Day", the last Sunday in September, to be known as
8 "Gold Star Mothers' Day", October fifth, to be known as "Raoul Wallen-
9 berg Day", October eleventh, to be known as "New Netherland Day in the
10 State of New York", October eighteenth, to be known as "Disabilities
11 History Day", October twenty-seventh, to be known as "Theodore Roosevelt
12 Day", November ninth, to be known as "Witness for Tolerance Day", Novem-
13 ber twelfth, to be known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the third
14 Tuesday in November to be known as "New York State School-Related
15 Professionals Recognition Day", November thirtieth, to be known as
16 "Shirley Chisholm Day", December third, to be known as "International
17 Day of Persons with Disabilities", December seventh, to be known as
18 "Pearl Harbor Day", December sixteenth, to be known as "Bastogne Day"
19 and that day of the Asian lunar calendar designated as new year to be
20 known as "Asian New Year".
21 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
