NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2776

Archive: Last 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 08, 2020	referred to education
Jan 29, 2019	referred to education

co-Sponsors

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1030
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, A9565
2015-2016: S6928, A902
2017-2018: S1513, A631
2021-2022: S5709
2023-2024: S2743

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2776

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 in the most recent decen-
nial 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, 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 inhabit-
ants 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 cultural 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:

S 1513 AVELLA Same as A 631 Miller MG

 
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 act
on its effective date may be promulgated and taken, respectively, on or
before such effective date.

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2776
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 29, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- 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, 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, INCLUDING ASIAN-INDIAN, BANGLADESHI,  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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD00162-01-9

 S. 2776                             2
 
   § 2. Section 3604 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 7-c to read as follows:
   7-C.  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; provided that any and all rules and regu-
 lations and any other measures necessary to implement any  provision  of
 this act on its effective date may be promulgated and taken, respective-
 ly, on or before such effective date.

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Senate Bill S2776

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S2776

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Sponsored By

Leroy Comrie

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

John C. Liu

Roxanne J. Persaud

Jessica Ramos

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2776 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments