On Saturday at midnight, the New York State legislature passed bills making Diwali and Lunar New Year public school holidays, CBS News reports.
Lunar New Year is already a holiday in New York City, Gothamist reports. The bill passed early Saturday morning officially makes it a statewide holiday. Diwali is not yet a statewide school holiday but will be a holiday for public schools in New York City.
Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar who helped lead the movement to make Diwali a school holiday, tweeted a photo of herself with the bill’s supporters after it was passed on Saturday.
New York Congresswoman Grace Meng (D) praised the passing of the two bills in a press release.
“The New York State Legislature’s approval of these two measures is a wonderful reminder and celebration of the great diversity that exists in our state, and underscores how this diversity should be reflected in the holidays observed by our residents,” Meng said.
The bills will officially become laws on July 1 if they are signed New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
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