Senate Bill S6974

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Permits public schools to utilize or display indigenous names

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current 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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2025-S6974 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A7407
Current Committee:
Senate Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §305, Ed L

2025-S6974 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Permits public schools to utilize or display indigenous names.

2025-S6974 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S6974 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6974
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  WEBER  -- 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  permitting  public
   schools to utilize or display indigenous names
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 63 to read as follows:
   63. (A) AS USED IN THIS SUBDIVISION, THE FOLLOWING  TERMS  SHALL  HAVE
 THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
   (I)  "INDIGENOUS NAMES" MEANS A NAME THAT DEPICTS OR REFERS TO INDIGE-
 NOUS PERSONS, TRIBES, NATIONS, INDIVIDUALS, CUSTOMS, SYMBOLS  OR  TRADI-
 TIONS, INCLUDING ACTUAL OR STEREOTYPICAL ASPECTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURES,
 USED  TO REPRESENT A PUBLIC SCHOOL'S EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUD-
 ING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUCH SCHOOL'S SPORTS TEAMS.
   (II) "INDIGENOUS LOGOS OR  MASCOTS"  MEANS  A  SYMBOL  OR  IMAGE  THAT
 DEPICTS  OR  REFERS TO INDIGENOUS PERSONS, TRIBES, NATIONS, INDIVIDUALS,
 CUSTOMS, SYMBOLS,  OR  TRADITIONS,  INCLUDING  ACTUAL  OR  STEREOTYPICAL
 ASPECTS  OF  INDIGENOUS  CULTURES,  USED  TO REPRESENT A PUBLIC SCHOOL'S
 EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO  SUCH  SCHOOL'S
 SPORTS TEAMS.
   (B)  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL ADOPT REGULATIONS TO ALLOW PUBLIC SCHOOLS
 TO UTILIZE OR DISPLAY AN INDIGENOUS NAME AND SHALL REPEAL  ANY  RULE  OR
 REGULATION INCONSISTENT WITH ALLOWING SUCH USE. NOTHING IN THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION  SHALL  PROHIBIT  THE  COMMISSIONER FROM ADOPTING ANY RULE OR REGU-
 LATION PROHIBITING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  FROM  UTILIZING  OR  DISPLAYING  AN
 INDIGENOUS  LOGO OR MASCOT OTHER THAN FOR PURPOSES OF CLASSROOM INSTRUC-
 TION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11149-01-5


              

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