Bill Text: NY A09565 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the Diwali school holiday in certain qualifying school districts to commemorate the Hindu festival of lights.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-16 - reported referred to ways and means [A09565 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A09565-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         9565
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      May 7, 2014
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Education
       AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the Diwa-
         li school holiday
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3204-a
    2  to read as follows:
    3    S 3204-A.  HINDU FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS SCHOOL HOLIDAY. 1.  THE  FIFTEENTH
    4  DAY OF THE HINDU LUNISOLAR MONTH OF KARTIK, KNOWN AS LAKSHMI PUJA, SHALL
    5  BE  A  SCHOOL  HOLIDAY  FOR  ANY  OR  ALL  SCHOOLS IN A QUALIFIED SCHOOL
    6  DISTRICT WHERE THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  OR  TRUSTEES  DETERMINES  SUCH
    7  SCHOOLS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT SOUTH-ASIAN POPULATION.
    8    2.  A  QUALIFIED  SCHOOL DISTRICT, FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, SHALL
    9  INCLUDE A CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF A CITY  HAVING  A  POPULATION  OF  ONE
   10  MILLION  OR  MORE INHABITANTS AND HAVING AN ASIAN POPULATION EQUAL TO OR
   11  GREATER THAN SEVEN AND  ONE-HALF  PERCENT.  THE  ASIAN  POPULATION,  FOR
   12  PURPOSES  OF THIS SECTION, SHALL INCLUDE THOSE PERSONS, ADULTS AND CHIL-
   13  DREN, WHO ARE FULLY OR PARTIALLY OF ASIAN DESCENT AND SHALL INCLUDE  ALL
   14  THOSE PERSONS AND ETHNIC GROUPS IDENTIFIED AS ASIAN BY THE UNITED STATES
   15  CENSUS BUREAU IN THE MOST RECENT DECENNIAL UNITED STATES CENSUS.  IN THE
   16  EVENT  THAT  THE  STATE  OF  NEW YORK OR THE UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU
   17  COLLECTS POPULATION DATA FOR THE STATE OF NEW  YORK  WHICH  DENOTES  THE
   18  NUMBER OF CITIZENS OF ASIAN-INDIAN, BANGLADESHI, AND SRI LANKAN DESCENT,
   19  THEN A QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SHALL INCLUDE A CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF
   20  A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE INHABITANTS AND HAVING
   21  A  SOUTH  ASIAN POPULATION, INCLUDING ASIAN-INDIAN, BANGLADESHI, AND SRI
   22  LANKAN EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THREE PERCENT.
   23    3. THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES OF EVERY QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE HERE-
   24  BY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO  CAUSE  ALL  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  WITHIN  SUCH
   25  DISTRICT TO BE CLOSED ON LAKSHMI PUJA, DURING THE FESTIVAL OF DIWALI.
   26    S  2.  Section  3604  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
   27  subdivision 7-c to read as follows:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD14679-02-4
       A. 9565                             2
    1    7-C. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, FOR PURPOSES  OF  ANY
    2  CALCULATION  UNDER  SUBDIVISION  SEVEN  OR  EIGHT  OF  THIS SECTION, THE
    3  COMMISSIONER SHALL DISREGARD ANY REDUCTION RESULTING FROM OBSERVANCE  OF
    4  LAKSHMI  PUJA,  DURING  THE  FESTIVAL  OF DIWALI AND, IF NECESSARY, SUCH
    5  OBSERVED HOLIDAY SHALL BE CALCULATED AS A SESSION DAY.
    6    S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    7  it  shall  have  become a law; provided that any and all rules and regu-
    8  lations and any other measures necessary to implement any  provision  of
    9  this act on its effective date may be promulgated and taken, respective-
   10  ly, on or before such effective date.