BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2598


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          Date of Hearing:  April 20, 2016


                           ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION


                              Patrick O'Donnell, Chair


          AB 2598  
          (Ting) - As Introduced February 19, 2016


          SUBJECT:  Lunar New Year's Day


          SUMMARY:  Encourages all public schools and educational  
          institutions to conduct culturally appropriate activities and  
          exercises observing the Lunar New Year and requires the Governor  
          to annually proclaim the date corresponding with the start of  
          the lunar calendar as Lunar New Year's Day.  Specifically, this  
          bill:  


          1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the significance  
            of Lunar New Year's Day.


          2)Designates the date corresponding with the start of the lunar  
            calendar of each year as set apart as Lunar New Year's Day, a  
            day having special significance.





          3)Encourages all public schools and educational institutions to  
            conduct culturally appropriate activities and exercises  
            observing the Lunar New Year on Lunar New Year's Day.








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          4)Requires the Governor to annually proclaim the date  
            corresponding with the start of the lunar calendar as Lunar  
            New Year's Day.


          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Designates a number of days as days of special significance to  
            the public schools and educational institutions, and  
            encourages them to observe that day and to conduct suitable  
            commemorative exercises.  Those recognizing individuals are  
            John Muir Day (April 21), Harvey Milk Day (May 22), Fred  
            Korematsu Day (January 30), Ronald Reagan Day (February 6),  
            and Ed Roberts Day (January 23).  


          2)Requires public schools to close on a number of holidays,  
            including January 1, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Lincoln  
            Day, Washington Day, Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Veterans  
            Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 25, all days appointed by the  
            Governor or the President of the United States for a public  
            fast, thanksgiving or holiday, and any other day designated as  
            a holiday by the governing board of the school district.


          3)Requires, for some specified holidays for which schools are  
            required to close (Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Lincoln Day,  
            Washington Day), that schools conduct exercises in  
            commemoration.

          4)Authorizes public schools to close on two other days if the  
            governing board, pursuant to a collective bargaining  
            agreement, agrees to close schools for that purpose.  These  








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            days are César Chávez (March 31) and Native American Day  
            (fourth Friday in September).  

          5)Requires public schools to remain open on specified days  
            (unless otherwise closed to mark a holiday by decision of the  
            governing board), and to celebrate the significance of those  
            days with appropriate commemorative exercises.  These days are  
            the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the  
            birthdays of Luther Burbank (March 7) and Susan B. Anthony  
            (February 15), and the death of Crispus Attucks (March 5).



          6)Requires the State Board of Education to ensure that state  
            curriculum on César Chávez and the history of the farm labor  
            movement in the United States include information on the role  
            of immigrants, including Filipino Americans, in that movement.  
             



          7)Designates October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong Day, a  
            day of special significance, and requires the Governor to  
            annually proclaim October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong  
            Day.  Encourages all public schools and educational  
            institutions to observe this day and conduct exercises  
            remembering the life and contributions of Larry Itliong.
          FISCAL EFFECT:  This bill is keyed non-fiscal.


          COMMENTS:  


          Need for the bill.  The author's office states, "California is  
          home to nearly six million individuals of Asian Pacific Islander  
          descent, many of whom celebrate Lunar New Year as a time to  
          renew family ties and start the new year with a clean slate.   
          The spirit of Lunar New Year is especially significant for  
          communities whose families have been forcibly kept separated,  








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          both historically through discriminatory and xenophobic laws  
          such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Immigration  
          Act of 1917 that barred Asian and Pacific Islander immigration  
          into the United States, and currently in light of continued  
          deportations and challenges to programs such as Deferred Action  
          for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of  
          Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) that aim to keep  
          families unified. 


          The Lunar New Year is also a celebration of prosperity,  
          strength, good health, and long life. Policies like the federal  
          Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and extensions of the  
          Medi-Cal program to all children, including those who are  
          undocumented, ensure access to comprehensive health insurance,  
          instead of reliance on emergency care, so all members of the  
          community can benefit from positive health outcomes.   
          Designating Lunar New Year as a day of special significance to  
          be observed and commemorated in schools will promote tolerance  
          and provide students with increased cultural awareness about the  
          API community in California and this important holiday."


          Lunar New Year's Day.  The Lunar New Year typically occurs in  
          late January or early February and is a significant cultural  
          event for Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and some other Asian  
          ethnic groups. The San Francisco Unified School District closes  
          its schools in observance of the lunar new year, and this year  
          the New York City Department of Education did the same.  This  
          bill encourages, but does not require, public schools and  
          educational institutions to conduct exercises celebrating the  
          occasion. 





          Related legislation.  SB 616 (Huff and Nguyen) of this Session  
          would require the Governor, each year, to designate the date  








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          corresponding with the start of the Asian lunar calendar as  
          Asian Lunar New Year's Day, a day having special significance  
          and encourage all public schools and educational institutions to  
          conduct exercises observing the Asian Lunar New Year with  
          appropriate activities and programs.  This bill is pending in  
          the Assembly.


          AB 7 (Bonta), Chapter 29, Statutes of 2015, designates October  
          25th of each year as Larry Itliong Day, a day of special  
          significance, and requires the Governor to annually proclaim  
          October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong Day.  Encourages all  
          public schools and educational institutions to observe this day  
          and conduct exercises remembering the life and contributions of  
          Larry Itliong.


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          Asian Americans Advancing Justice


          Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus


          Multicultural Council of America




          Opposition










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          None received




          Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087