BILL NUMBER: S3500
SPONSOR: WEIK
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to designating March
twenty-first as "Down Syndrome Awareness Day"
 
PURPOSE:
To commemorate March 21 as Down Syndrome Awareness Day in the State of
New York.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 168-a(3) of the executive law to amend March 21
as Down Syndrome Awareness Day to the list of commemoration days in the
State of New York.
Section 2 sets forth an immediate effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the CDC, Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has
an extra copy of chromosome 21 in the body. This extra copy changes how
the baby's body and brain develop. It is the most common chromosomal
condition in the United States, with 6,000 babies born with Down
syndrome annually. In 2011, the United Nations declared March 21 as
World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. This legislation would codify in
state law that March 21 as Down Syndrome Awareness Day in New York.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023: S2241 Passed Senate 2022: 57484 Passed Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

Statutes affected:
S3500: 168-a executive law, 168-a(3) executive law