BILL NUMBER: S5528
SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the state law, in relation to the description of the
arms of the state and the state flag
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this legislation is to restore the New York State coat of
arms and state flag to its original state.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one: amends section 70 of the state law by removing the line 'E
pluribus unum.'Nothing in this bill calls for the changing out of
currently existing flags and seals.
Section two: provides effective date and states that all arms of the
state and the state flags printed prior to the effective date need not
be removed or replaced.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
With elements dating back to the Revolutionary War, the New York State
coat of arms enshrines our State's past into a meaningful and histor-
ically significant symbol. For 138 years, this symbol remained a
constant and unchanging one. In 2020 however, former Governor Andrew
Cuomo sought to change the coat of arms and codified its modification by
including it in a budget bill. As a result, the coat of arms was altered
to include a secondary motto, e pluribus unum," to the already existing
primary motto familiar to all New Yorkers, "excelsior."
The science of heraldry demands that the emblematic embodiment of our
state be perpetual. The addition of a second unofficial motto to the
historic state arms and flag devalues the motto of our state and the
symbol as a whole. This bill will restore our Great State's coat of arms
to its original and exceptional state.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S5528: 70 state law