Bill Text: NY A06846 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the designation of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, as a public holiday.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to governmental operations [A06846 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A06846-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6846

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 12, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee 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.
                                                                   LBD10061-01-1