BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2598 Page 1 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. AB 2598 Page 2 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 AB 2598 Page 3 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, AB 2598 Page 4 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 AB 2598 Page 5 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 AB 2598 Page 6 None received Analysis Prepared by:Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087