A 4743: Directs the secretary of the senate and the clerk of the assembly to identify the date of Asian Lunar New Year; declares such day as a public holiday each year.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4743 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CHANG, BENDETT, NOVAKHOV, SMULLEN, TAGUE, MAHER, GIGLIO, MILLER, BEEPHAN, SLATER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the legislative law and the general construction law, in relation to the identification of Asian Lunar New Year and the decla- ration of such day 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 15 of the legislative law is amended by adding a 2 new undesignated paragraph to read as follows: 3 The respective secretary and clerk shall accurately identify the prop- 4 er date of each year's Asian Lunar New Year according to the lunar 5 calendar. The respective secretary and clerk shall consult with repre- 6 sentatives of appropriate organizations or other officials in identify- 7 ing such date. By January first of each calendar year, the secretary 8 and clerk shall identify and report in writing the calendar dates of the 9 next three succeeding lunar new years to the governor, the secretary of 10 state, the state comptroller, the speaker of the assembly, the minority 11 leader of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, and the 12 minority leader of the senate. 13 § 2. Section 24 of the general construction law, as amended by chapter 14 249 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as follows: 15 § 24. Public holidays; half-holidays. The term public holiday includes 16 the following days in each year: the first day of January, known as New 17 Year's day; the third Monday of January, known as Dr. Martin Luther 18 King, Jr. day; the Asian Lunar New Year as identified pursuant to 19 section fifteen of the legislative law to be known as Lunar New Year; 20 the twelfth day of February, known as Lincoln's birthday; the third 21 Monday in February, known as Washington's birthday; the last Monday in 22 May, known as Memorial day; the second Sunday in June, known as Flag 23 day; the nineteenth day of June, known as Juneteenth; the fourth day of EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07576-01-5 
 A. 4743 2 1 July, known as Independence day; the first Monday in September, known as 2 Labor day; the second Monday in October, known as Columbus day; the 3 eleventh day of November, known as Veterans' day; the fourth Thursday in 4 November, known as Thanksgiving day; and the twenty-fifth day of Decem- 5 ber, known as Christmas day, and if any of such days except Flag day is 6 Sunday, the next day thereafter; each general election day, and each day 7 appointed by the president of the United States or by the governor of 8 this state as a day of general thanksgiving, general fasting and prayer, 9 or other general religious observances. The term half-holiday includes 10 the period from noon to midnight of each Saturday which is not a public 11 holiday. 12 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section two 13 of this act shall take effect on the first Asian Lunar New Year identi- 14 fied by the secretary of the senate and the clerk of the assembly pursu- 15 ant to section 15 of the legislative law; provided, further, that the 16 secretary of the senate and the clerk of the assembly shall notify the 17 legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the enact- 18 ment of the legislation provided for in section two of this act in order 19 that the commission may maintain an accurate and timely effective data 20 base of the official text of the laws of state of New York in further- 21 ance of effectuating the provisions of section 44 of the legislative law 22 and section 70-b of the public officers law.