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.
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The bills will officially become laws on July 1 if they are signed New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
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