Bill
SB 17
Designates Diwali/Deepavali as a state holiday in law, recognizing the Festival of Lights for Hindu, Jain, and Sikh communities.
Status
- Introduced: August 15, 2025
- Current procedural status: Referred to Committee on Regulatory Affairs
- Short title / subject: Holidays — Diwali / Deepavali — create new act to designate as a holiday
Purpose and intent
- The bill formally recognizes and names the annual festival commonly called Diwali or Deepavali (the “Festival of Lights”) as a state holiday. It declares that the new‑moon day of the eighth lunar month, according to the Indic pūrṇimānta lunisolar calendar, shall be known as “Diwali,” “Deepavali,” or the “Festival of Lights.”
- The bill notes that the holiday is celebrated by members of multiple faith and cultural communities, specifically listing Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs.
Key provisions
- Establishes a new statutory designation identifying the Diwali/Deepavali new‑moon day (8th lunar month per Indic pūrṇimānta lunisolar calendar) as a recognized holiday in state law.
- Includes alternative spellings/names for the observance (“Diwali”, “Deepavali”, “Festival of Lights”) and identifies communities that traditionally celebrate it.
- Creates a new act (i.e., adds a discrete statutory provision) to the state code to reflect the designation.
What the bill does NOT (explicitly) do
- The text provided does not specify operational details commonly associated with state holidays, such as:
- Whether the day is a paid holiday for state employees.
- Whether state offices, courts, or schools would close.
- Any changes to state payroll, collective bargaining, or school‑calendar law.
- The bill as drafted appears limited to designation/recognition rather than prescribing closures or leave policies.
Who would be affected / likely impacts
- Symbolic/cultural effect: Recognizes and affirms the cultural/religious significance of Diwali for Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and other communities in the state.
- Administrative effect: If implemented only as a designation, impact is largely administrative (updating official holiday lists, calendars, state publications and websites).
- Operational/financial effect: If subsequent implementing provisions or policy changes (closures, paid leave) are adopted, there could be fiscal and personnel impacts for state agencies, school districts, courts, and local governments. Those impacts are not specified in the bill text and would require follow‑on legislative or administrative action.
Procedural / next steps
- Referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs (current status). Typical next steps: committee hearing(s), possible amendments, committee vote, and (if reported out) second and third reading votes in the chamber of origin, then transmission to the other chamber and final enactment procedures (and, if enacted, an effective date).
- Because the bill as drafted is a designating/recognition measure, any practical changes (closures, paid leave) would generally require additional statutory language or administrative rules and appropriation actions.
Notes for stakeholders
- Community groups celebrating Diwali can use this bill to seek formal recognition and to prompt state agencies to add Diwali to official calendars and outreach materials.
- Labor groups, school administrators, and state HR officials should monitor the bill and any amendments in case language expanding the designation into a paid or closing holiday is proposed.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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