New York, NY: The New York State Assembly intends to pass legislation to observe Diwali and the Lunar New Year as federal holidays.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement on Wednesday that it is important to recognize New York’s rich and diverse culture. “It is the intention of the Assembly to pass legislation to observe Lunar New Year and Diwali as holidays in New York State before the close of our legislative session. We will continue discussions with stakeholders as to how this affects the school year calendar,” he said.
Carl Heastie
Grace Meng
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Queens), and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, will on Friday announce the legislation that would make Diwali a federal holiday. Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and State Senator Joe Addabbo are the other sponsors of the NYS State bill.
Under the Congresswoman’s Diwali Day Act, Diwali would become the 12th federally recognized holiday in the United States. “I worked to make Lunar New Year a school holiday in New York City, and I’ve long called for the same to be done for Diwali,” Meng said.
