NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8597
SPONSOR: Rajkumar TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general construction law, in relation to the desig-
nation of Diwali as a public holiday
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To include Diwali as a. recognized public holiday.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends the General Construction Law to include Diwali as a
public holiday.
Section 2: Effective date.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
Click here to enter text.
JUSTIFICATION:
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. It
is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jainists. Allowing such a
holiday to be recognized as a public holiday in New York State demon-
strates the importance of New York State's cultural diversity and the
significance of its South-Asian community. This recognition is already
afforded to other ethnic and religious groups in New York.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A6846 (2021)
A1197 (2019)
A651 (2017)
A4331 (2015)
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8597
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR, ANDERSON -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the general construction law, in relation to the desig-
nation of Diwali as a public holiday
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 24 of the general construction law, as amended by
2 chapter 249 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 24. Public holidays; half-holidays. The term public holiday includes
4 the following days in each year: the first day of January, known as New
5 Year's day; the third Monday of January, known as Dr. Martin Luther
6 King, Jr. day; the twelfth day of February, known as Lincoln's birthday;
7 the third Monday in February, known as Washington's birthday; the last
8 Monday in May, known as Memorial day; the second Sunday in June, known
9 as Flag day; the nineteenth day of June, known as Juneteenth; the fourth
10 day of July, known as Independence day; the first Monday in September,
11 known as Labor day; the second Monday in October, known as Columbus day;
12 the eleventh day of November, known as Veterans' day; the fourth Thurs-
13 day in November, known as Thanksgiving day; [and] the twenty-fifth day
14 of December, known as Christmas day; and the fifteenth day of the Hindu
15 lunisolar month of Kartik, known as Lakshmi Puja, or the Hindu festival
16 of lights, and if any of such days except Flag day is Sunday, the next
17 day thereafter; each general election day, and each day appointed by the
18 president of the United States or by the governor of this state as a day
19 of general thanksgiving, general fasting and prayer, or other general
20 religious observances. The term half-holiday includes the period from
21 noon to midnight of each Saturday which is not a public holiday.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
23 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04378-01-3
