NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1116

Senate Bill S1116

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Designates April twentieth as a day of commemoration to be known as New York state constitution day

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Judiciary 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 08, 2025	referred to judiciary

2025-S1116 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Judiciary
Law Section:: Executive Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §168-a, Exec L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S6193
2023-2024: S280

2025-S1116 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Designates April twentieth as a day of commemoration to be known as New York State Constitution Day.

2025-S1116 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1116

SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to designating April
twentieth as a day of commemoration to be known as "New York State
Constitution Day"

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To designate April Twentieth as a day of commemoration to be known as
"New York State Constitution Day" in the State of New York.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends Subdivision 3 of Section 168-a of the Executive Law,
as amended by Chapter 542 of the Laws of 2024, to include the twentieth
day of April, designated "New York State Constitution Day"

Section 2: Sets the effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

On April 20, 1777 in Kingston, a Convention of Representatives of the
State of New York adopted the first New York Constitution, declaring
independence from the Kingdom of England and creating a democratic and
free independent State of New York. The Constitution replaced the Colo-
nial Charter-which was under authority from the Monarch of the Kingdom
of England-thereby creating the State's government and defining the
rights and privileges afforded to its citizens.

The Convention first set out to achieve this goal on July 10, 1776 in
White Plains. However, the Convention was forced into repeated adjourn-
ments and changes of location due to the British Army invasion of Staten
Island and the continual threat of a British occupation.  Despite the
ongoing war, the Convention successfully adopted the Constitution less
than a year later.

In the ensuing 244 years, New York State has adopted five Constitutions,
and many additional Amendments, to reflect the ever changing and evolv-
ing societal standards of decency. Each revision has redefined the role
of government and created a more expansive and inclusive understanding
of the rights and privileges protected by the Constitution, as well as
to whom such rights and privileges are afforded.

The importance of the New York State Constitution to our citizens and
residents cannot be understated. Thus, it is the duty of the State to
pause to acknowledge, reflect, and educate its citizens about this vital
document.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024: S280 - Passed Senate, died in Assembly

2023: S280 - Passed Senate, died in Assembly

2022: S6193A - Passed Senate, died in Assembly

2021: S6193A - Passed Senate, died in Assembly

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S1116 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1116
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  executive law, in relation to designating April
   twentieth as a day of commemoration to be known  as  "New  York  State
   Constitution 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  542  of  the  laws  of 2024, 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 eighth, to be
 known as "International Women's  Day",  March  tenth,  to  be  known  as
 "Harriet Tubman Day", March twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veter-
 ans'  Day",  April  ninth,  to  be known as "POW Recognition Day", APRIL
 TWENTIETH, TO BE KNOWN AS "NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTION DAY", April twen-
 ty-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 seventeenth, 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", the second  Monday  in
 July,  to  be  known  as  "Abolition  Commemoration Day", August twenty-
 fourth, to be known as  "Ukrainian  Independence  Day",  August  twenty-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02259-01-5

 S. 1116                             2
 
 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 known as "New York
 State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except  if  such  date  of  commemoration
 cannot  be  observed  due to a religious holiday, such observances 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 "Disa-
 bilities  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 twenty-sixth, to  be  known  as
 "Sojourner  Truth  Day",  November  thirtieth,  to  be known as "Shirley
 Chisholm Day", December third, to be  known  as  "International  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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