NY State Senate Bill 2019-S7316

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 17, 2020	referred to finance

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9717
Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §168-a, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S1847, A704
2023-2024: S440, A932

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Designates the fourth Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day".

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S7316

SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to designating the fourth
Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day"

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would designate the fourth Thursday in March to be commem-
orated as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day" in New York State.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law to
designate the fourth Thursday in March to be commemorated as "Tuskegee
Airmen Commemoration Day" in New York State.

Section 2: Effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day honors the Tuskegee Airmen, the first
African Americans allowed to serve as aviators in the United States
Armed Forces. The Tuskegee Airmen served during World War II.

The Tuskegee program began in 1941 at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee,
Alabama. African Americans were allowed to begin training as airmen in
response to the era's civil rights movement, specifically pressure put
on the Air Force by the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP). The individuals who first participated in this
program were known as "Red Tails."

Moton Field, where the African American pilots trained, would come to be
known as the Tuskegee Army Airfield. The nearby Maxwell Field was used
exclusively by white pilots.

In March 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron became the first group to
complete its training. The Squadron deployed first to North Africa in
April 1943, then to Sicily and mainland Italy.

The next group to finish training was the 332nd Fighter Group. This
group consisted of the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons. These
airmen were deployed to Italy in July 1944.

The Tuskegee airmen fought with courage and dignity on behalf of their
country. The 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, another
Tuskegee airmen squadron, earned three Distinguished Unit Citations.
Collectively, the Tuskegee airmen earned fourteen Bronze Stars, one
hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses, seven hundred and
forty-four Air Medals, and eight Purple Hearts.

In other firsts, the Tuskegee airmen were the first African Americans to
work as U. S. Army Flight Surgeons as well as the first African Ameri-
cans to be admitted into the U. S. Army School of Aviation Medicine.
After the close of World War II, some of the Tuskegee airmen continued
to serve in the United States Air Force, while others became flight
instructors.
The fourth Thursday in March was chosen to honor the group because it
was in March 1941 that the first Tuskegee airmen completed their train-
ing and earned their wings. It was also the fourth Thursday in March
2007 when former President George W. Bush awarded the Tuskegee Airmen
with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Three states (Arizona, Colorado, and Virginia) and the District of
Columbia have already adopted the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee
Airmen Commemoration Day. New York State is home to several surviving
Tuskegee Airmen, including William Johnson, Reginald Brewster, Herbert
Thorpe, and Albert Beckett.

New York State executive law currently commemorates specific calendar
days for veterans of the Gulf War, Vietnam War, and Korean War as well
as for Prisoners of War, women veterans, and Gold Star Mothers.  The
Battle of Plattsburgh, the War of 1812, and the attack on Pearl Harbor
are similarly commemorated.

By enacting this bill into law, New York State would grant much-deserved
recognition to the Tuskegee Airmen who-despite facing racism both within
and outside the military-courageously served their country and ensure
that their heroic legacy lives on in history.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Legislation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7316
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 17, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to designating the fourth
   Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Subdivision  3  of section 168-a of the executive law, as
 amended by chapter 481 of the laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   3.  The  following  days  shall be days of commemoration in each year:
 January sixth, to be known as "Haym Salomon  Day",  January  twenty-sev-
 enth, to be known as "Holocaust Remembrance Day", February fourth, to be
 known  as "Rosa Parks Day", February fifteenth, to be known as "Susan B.
 Anthony Day", February sixteenth, to be known as  "Lithuanian  Independ-
 ence  Day",  February  twenty-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans'
 Day", March fourth, to be known as "Pulaski Day",  March  tenth,  to  be
 known as "Harriet Tubman Day", THE FOURTH THURSDAY IN MARCH, TO BE KNOWN
 AS  "TUSKEGEE AIRMEN COMMEMORATION DAY", March twenty-ninth, to be known
 as "Vietnam Veterans' Day", April ninth, to be known as "POW Recognition
 Day", April twenty-seventh, to be known as  "Coretta  Scott  King  Day",
 April  twenty-eighth,  to be known as "Workers' Memorial Day", the first
 Tuesday in May to be known as "New York State Teacher Day",  May  seven-
 teenth,  to  be  known  as  "Thurgood Marshall Day", the first Sunday in
 June, to be known as "Children's Day",  June  second,  to  be  known  as
 "Italian Independence Day", June twelfth, to be known as "Women Veterans
 Recognition  Day",  June  nineteenth, to be known as "Juneteenth Freedom
 Day", June twenty-fifth, to be known  as  "Korean  War  Veterans'  Day",
 August  twenty-fourth,  to  be  known  as  "Ukrainian Independence Day",
 August twenty-sixth, to be known as "Women's  Equality  Day",  September
 eleventh,  to  be  known  as  "Battle of Plattsburgh Day" and also to be
 known as "September 11th Remembrance Day", September thirteenth,  to  be
 known  as "John Barry Day" and also to be known as "Uncle Sam Day in the
 State of New York", September seventeenth, to  be  known  as  "Friedrich
 Wilhelm  von  Steuben Memorial Day", the third Friday in September to be
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14751-01-0

 S. 7316                             2
 
 known as "New York State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except if such date of
 commemoration cannot be observed due to a religious holiday, such obser-
 vances shall then be conducted on the second Friday  of  September,  the
 last Saturday in September, to be known as "War of 1812 Day", the fourth
 Saturday  of  September, known as "Native-American Day", the last Sunday
 in September, to be known as "Gold Star Mothers' Day", October fifth, to
 be known as "Raoul Wallenberg Day", October eleventh,  to  be  known  as
 "New Netherland Day in the State of New York", October eighteenth, to be
 known as "Disabilities History Day", October twenty-seventh, to be known
 as "Theodore Roosevelt Day", November ninth, to be known as "Witness for
 Tolerance Day", November twelfth, to be known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton
 Day",  the  third  Tuesday  in  November  to be known as "New York State
 School-Related Professionals Recognition Day", November thirtieth, to be
 known as "Shirley Chisholm Day", December third, to be known as  "Inter-
 national  Day  of  Persons  with  Disabilities", December seventh, to be
 known as  "Pearl  Harbor  Day",  December  sixteenth,  to  be  known  as
 "Bastogne  Day"  and  that day of the Asian lunar calendar designated as
 new year to be known as "Asian New Year".
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S7316

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S7316

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Sponsored By

James Skoufis

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S7316 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments