Welcoming the descendants of the Chinese American Transcontinental Railroad workers to the Legislative Chambers in Albany, New York on May 14, 2025

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Addabbo and 61 co-sponsors

The bill ceremonially welcomes descendants of Chinese American Transcontinental Railroad workers to the New York Legislature, recognizing their historical contributions.

ADOPTED

Overview

Bill Number: J 958

Title: Welcoming the descendants of the Chinese American Transcontinental Railroad workers to the Legislative Chambers in Albany, New York on May 14, 2025

Type: Joint/Legislative Resolution (ceremonial)

Status: Adopted

Introduced: May 8, 2025

Key Purpose: To formally welcome and recognize the descendants of Chinese American workers who contributed to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, and to host them in the New York State Legislative Chambers on May 14, 2025.

Purpose and Intent

The bill serves as a ceremonial resolution to acknowledge and honor the historical contributions and sacrifices of Chinese American workers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad.

It establishes a formal invitation and welcome to descendants to participate in a session in the Legislative Chambers in Albany on May 14, 2025.

By adopting the resolution, the Legislature publicly recognizes the important, often under-told role of these workers in American history and aims to promote awareness and remembrance.

Key Provisions

A formal expression of welcome and recognition by the New York State Legislature.

An invitation and permission for the descendants to be present in the Legislative Chambers in Albany on the specified date (May 14, 2025).

A statement of historical appreciation for the contributions of Chinese American laborers to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

No creating of new law, budgetary appropriation, or regulatory changes; procedural/ceremonial in nature.

Affected Parties and Beneficiaries

Primary beneficiaries: Descendants of Chinese American Transcontinental Railroad workers.

Secondary beneficiaries: General public and educational audiences who gain broader historical awareness of immigrant labor contributions; the Legislature and Albany’s ceremonial events program.

The resolution is largely symbolic, aiming to elevate historical memory and cultural recognition.

Procedural History and Timeline

Introduced: May 8, 2025

Initial Referral: Finance (as noted in the legislative actions)

Subsequent Consideration: Referred to the calendar for consideration (May 13, 2025)

Adoption: Adopted on May 13, 2025 (with calendar consideration actions occurring the same day)

Event Date Specified: May 14, 2025 (per the title and purpose)

Additional Context

Sponsors: A broad slate of cosponsors from both Senate and Assembly, led by John Liu as the primary sponsor, with numerous legislators listed as cosponsors. The diverse sponsorship indicates broad bipartisan/bi-cameral support for the ceremonial recognition.

Fiscal Impact: Not expected to impose new spending or fiscal obligations, as a ceremonial resolution.

If you’d like, I can add a concise one-paragraph press-release-friendly summary or provide a quick comparison to similar ceremonial resolutions recognizing historical contributions.

Bill