A 7148: Designates January 6th as Democracy Day.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7148 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 20, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to designating January sixth as "Democracy Day" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares 2 the following: 3 1. On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, the President of the United States 4 at the time, Donald J. Trump, members of his administration and presi- 5 dential campaign, and several Republican Members of Congress, directly 6 incited and encouraged an armed and violent insurrection against the 7 government of the United States, with the express purpose of preventing 8 the peaceful transfer of power and overturning the results of a free and 9 fair election. 10 2. In the months leading up to January 6th, the former President, 11 members of his administration, and numerous elected members of his 12 party, intentionally spread false and inflammatory claims regarding the 13 legitimacy of the election, and both implicitly and explicitly promised 14 violent or armed opposition to prevent the election from being certified 15 and the President-Elect from taking office. 16 3. In the course of their attack, the insurrectionists trespassed on 17 and destroyed Federal property, including flagrantly looting the Capi- 18 tol, and openly bragged about their exploits on social media. The 19 attackers carried white supremacist symbols including the flag known as 20 the "Confederate battle flag," as well as anti-Semitic, fascist, and 21 neo-nazi ideology. At the same time as many were carrying these symbols 22 of the enemies of the United States, some of the attackers were observed 23 removing the flag of the United States, throwing it to the ground, and 24 replacing it with a flag bearing the name of President Donald J. Trump. 25 4. One hundred thirty-eight police officers were injured defending the 26 Capitol, and four insurrectionists and a Capitol Police officer died. In 27 the months that followed the attack, four additional Capitol Police 28 officers died by suicide. More than seven hundred people have been EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD10938-01-5 
 A. 7148 2 1 arrested in connection with the attack, however those most responsible 2 have avoided accountability. 3 5. It is the intent of the legislature to establish an annual day of 4 commemoration to be known as Democracy Day, to honor those who were 5 wounded or died as a result of defending the Capitol, reiterate the need 6 to protect and strengthen our democratic institutions, and recognize the 7 ongoing threat of anti-democratic, white nationalist, and authoritarian 8 movements in the United States. 9 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law, as amended 10 by chapter 542 of the laws of 2024, is amended to read as follows: 11 3. The following days shall be days of commemoration in each year: 12 January sixth, to be known as "Haym Salomon Day", and also to be known 13 as "Democracy Day", January twenty-seventh, to be known as "Holocaust 14 Remembrance Day", February fourth, to be known as "Rosa Parks Day", 15 February fifteenth, to be known as "Susan B. Anthony Day", February 16 sixteenth, to be known as "Lithuanian Independence Day", February twen- 17 ty-eighth, to be known as "Gulf War Veterans' Day", March fourth, to be 18 known as "Pulaski Day", March eighth, to be known as "International 19 Women's Day", March tenth, to be known as "Harriet Tubman Day", March 20 twenty-ninth, to be known as "Vietnam Veterans' Day", April ninth, to be 21 known as "POW Recognition Day", April twenty-seventh, to be known as 22 "Coretta Scott King Day", April twenty-eighth, to be known as "Workers' 23 Memorial Day", the first Tuesday in May to be known as "New York State 24 Teacher Day", May seventeenth, to be known as "Thurgood Marshall Day", 25 the first Sunday in June, to be known as "Children's Day", June second, 26 to be known as "Italian Independence Day", June twelfth, to be known as 27 "Women Veterans Recognition Day", June nineteenth, to be known as "June- 28 teenth Freedom Day", June twenty-fifth, to be known as "Korean War 29 Veterans' Day", the second Monday in July, to be known as "Abolition 30 Commemoration Day", August twenty-fourth, to be known as "Ukrainian 31 Independence Day", August twenty-sixth, to be known as "Women's Equality 32 Day", September eleventh, to be known as "Battle of Plattsburgh Day" and 33 also to be known as "September 11th Remembrance Day", September thir- 34 teenth, to be known as "John Barry Day" and also to be known as "Uncle 35 Sam Day in the State of New York", September seventeenth, to be known as 36 "Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Memorial Day", the third Friday in 37 September to be known as "New York State POW/MIA Recognition Day" except 38 if such date of commemoration cannot be observed due to a religious 39 holiday, such observances shall then be conducted on the second Friday 40 of September, the last Saturday in September, to be known as "War of 41 1812 Day", the fourth Saturday of September, known as "Native-American 42 Day", the last Sunday in September, to be known as "Gold Star Mothers' 43 Day", October fifth, to be known as "Raoul Wallenberg Day", October 44 eleventh, to be known as "New Netherland Day in the State of New York", 45 October eighteenth, to be known as "Disabilities History Day", October 46 twenty-seventh, to be known as "Theodore Roosevelt Day", November ninth, 47 to be known as "Witness for Tolerance Day", November twelfth, to be 48 known as "Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day", the third Tuesday in November to 49 be known as "New York State School-Related Professionals Recognition 50 Day", November twenty-sixth, to be known as "Sojourner Truth Day", 51 November thirtieth, to be known as "Shirley Chisholm Day", December 52 third, to be known as "International Day of Persons with Disabilities", 53 December seventh, to be known as "Pearl Harbor Day", December sixteenth, 54 to be known as "Bastogne Day" and that day of the Asian lunar calendar 55 designated as new year to be known as "Asian New Year". 56 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.