NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5398
SPONSOR: Raga TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing October
fifteenth as a day of commemoration to be known as "Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Day"
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To honor the contributions of Polish army officer and statesman Tadeusz
KoSciuszko because he played a pivotal role in the American revolution.
October 15th is chosen as this is the day he passed.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law to
establish October fifteenth of each year as "Tadeusz KoSciuszko Day."
Section 2 provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Polish army officer and statesman Tadeusz KoSciuszko helped America
achieve independence through his strategic design of blockades and
fortresses as well as his military strategy. His knowledge helped Ameri-
ca achieve victory at Saratoga and escape British forces in the Caroli-
nas. In New York, he heavily fortified Fort West Point in 1778 and the
portion that overlooked the Hudson river.
Establishing October 15th as "Tadeusz KoSciuszko Day" is a momentous
achievement not only for New York's Polish community, but for all New
Yorkers. ,Tadeusz KoSciuszko has been often omitted in recent school
history lessons, and establishing this day will ensure his legacy
remains permanently.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New legislation.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5398
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 13, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing October
fifteenth as a day of commemoration to be known as "Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Day"
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 542 of the laws of 2024, 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-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans'
10 Day", March fourth, to be known as "Pulaski Day", March eighth, to be
11 known as "International Women's Day", March tenth, to be known as
12 "Harriet Tubman Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veter-
13 ans' Day", April ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition Day", April
14 twenty-seventh, to be known as "Coretta Scott King Day", April twenty-
15 eighth, to be known as "Workers' Memorial Day", the first Tuesday in May
16 to be known as "New York State Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to be
17 known as "Thurgood Marshall Day", the first Sunday in June, to be known
18 as "Children's Day", June second, to be known as "Italian Independence
19 Day", June twelfth, to be known as "Women Veterans Recognition Day",
20 June nineteenth, to be known as "Juneteenth Freedom Day", June twenty-
21 fifth, to be known as "Korean War Veterans' Day", the second Monday in
22 July, to be known as "Abolition Commemoration Day", August twenty-
23 fourth, to be known as "Ukrainian Independence Day", August twenty-
24 sixth, to be known as "Women's Equality Day", September eleventh, to be
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05446-01-5
A. 5398 2
1 known as "Battle of Plattsburgh Day" and also to be known as "September
2 11th Remembrance Day", September thirteenth, to be known as "John Barry
3 Day" and also to be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the State of New York",
4 September seventeenth, to be known as "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
5 Memorial Day", the third Friday in September to be known as "New York
6 State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except if such date of commemoration
7 cannot be observed due to a religious holiday, such observances shall
8 then be conducted on the second Friday of September, the last Saturday
9 in September, to be known as "War of 1812 Day", the fourth Saturday of
10 September, known as "Native-American Day", the last Sunday in September,
11 to be known as "Gold Star Mothers' Day", October fifth, to be known as
12 "Raoul Wallenberg Day", October eleventh, to be known as "New Netherland
13 Day in the State of New York", October fifteenth, to be known as
14 "Tadeusz Kosciuszko Day", October eighteenth, to be known as "Disabili-
15 ties History Day", October twenty-seventh, to be known as "Theodore
16 Roosevelt Day", November ninth, to be known as "Witness for Tolerance
17 Day", November twelfth, to be known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the
18 third Tuesday in November to be known as "New York State School-Related
19 Professionals Recognition Day", November twenty-sixth, to be known as
20 "Sojourner Truth Day", November thirtieth, to be known as "Shirley
21 Chisholm Day", December third, to be known as "International Day of
22 Persons with Disabilities", December seventh, to be known as "Pearl
23 Harbor Day", December sixteenth, to be known as "Bastogne Day" and that
24 day of the Asian lunar calendar designated as new year to be known as
25 "Asian New Year".
26 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
