NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6975
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing September
twenty-second of each year as a day of commemoration known as "Veteran
Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day"
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to designate September 22nd as "Veteran
Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day."
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1- Amends Section 168-a (3) of the executive law to add Septem-
ber 22nd as "Veteran Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day."
Section 2 - Effective Date - Immediately.
JUSTIFICATION:
Under the existing law there are a number of days designated to commem-
orate historical events, people, cultural or religious celebrations, and
patriotic causes.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs has previously reported
that an average of 22 veterans per day commit suicide. The rate of
suicide among veterans was 1.4 times higher among male veterans and 1.8
times higher among female veterans when compared to the general adult
population. In 2016 alone, 153 Veterans in New York committed suicide.
This legislation designates September 22nd as "Veteran Suicide Awareness
and Remembrance Day." On this day New Yorkers will be called to remember
that many of the wounds of war are unseen and persist long after the end
of a veteran's military service. This day will honor the fallen and
their families by bringing awareness to this issue and commemorating
their service to our country.
If you are a veteran or know a veteran in need of help you may contact
the Veteran Crisis line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days at
1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 to talk to someone or send a text message to
838255 to connect with a Veterans Affair responder.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: A8602 referred to Governmental Operations / S6712 Passed the
Senate
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6975
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 19, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing September
twenty-second of each year as a day of commemoration known as "Veteran
Suicide Awareness and Remembrance 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 237 of the laws of 2020, 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 tenth, to be
11 known as "Harriet Tubman Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Viet-
12 nam Veterans' Day", April ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition Day",
13 April twenty-seventh, to be known as "Coretta Scott King Day", April
14 twenty-eighth, to be known as "Workers' Memorial Day", the first Tuesday
15 in May to be known as "New York State Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to
16 be known as "Thurgood Marshall Day", the first Sunday in June, to be
17 known as "Children's Day", June second, to be known as "Italian Inde-
18 pendence Day", June twelfth, to be known as "Women Veterans Recognition
19 Day", June nineteenth, to be known as "Juneteenth Freedom Day", June
20 twenty-fifth, to be known as "Korean War Veterans' Day", the second
21 Monday in July, to be known as "Abolition Commemoration Day", August
22 twenty-fourth, to be known as "Ukrainian Independence Day", August twen-
23 ty-sixth, to be known as "Women's Equality Day", September eleventh, to
24 be known as "Battle of Plattsburgh Day" and also to be known as "Septem-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02828-01-1
A. 6975 2
1 ber 11th Remembrance Day", September thirteenth, to be known as "John
2 Barry Day" and also to be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the State of New
3 York", September seventeenth, to be known as "Friedrich Wilhelm von
4 Steuben Memorial Day", September twenty-second, to be known as "Veteran
5 Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day", the third Friday in September to
6 be known as "New York State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except if such date
7 of commemoration cannot be observed due to a religious holiday, such
8 observances shall then be conducted on the second Friday of September,
9 the last Saturday in September, to be known as "War of 1812 Day", the
10 fourth Saturday of September, known as "Native-American Day", the last
11 Sunday in September, to be known as "Gold Star Mothers' Day", October
12 fifth, to be known as "Raoul Wallenberg Day", October eleventh, to be
13 known as "New Netherland Day in the State of New York", October eigh-
14 teenth, to be known as "Disabilities History Day", October twenty-sev-
15 enth, to be known as "Theodore Roosevelt Day", November ninth, to be
16 known as "Witness for Tolerance Day", November twelfth, to be known as
17 "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the third Tuesday in November to be known
18 as "New York State School-Related Professionals Recognition Day", Novem-
19 ber thirtieth, to be known as "Shirley Chisholm Day", December third, to
20 be known as "International Day of Persons with Disabilities", December
21 seventh, to be known as "Pearl Harbor Day", December sixteenth, to be
22 known as "Bastogne Day" and that day of the Asian lunar calendar desig-
23 nated as new year to be known as "Asian New Year".
24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
