New York Assembly Bill A00285

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/8/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Relates to observance of all religious holidays by institutions within the state university and the city university of New York; includes the Asian Lunar New Year within the definition of such holidays.

Summary

This bill amends the Education Law to expand religious-holiday accommodations for students at institutions within SUNY and CUNY. It adds a new provision stating that students who celebrate the cultural observance of the Asian Lunar New Year must be excused in the same manner as students excused for religious beliefs. The bill also creates a new Education Law section governing higher-education accommodations for students whose religious beliefs prevent them from registering for classes, attending classes, or completing examinations, study, or work requirements on certain days. Under the new section, colleges and universities covered by the bill would be required to provide equivalent opportunities to register, make up missed work, or take missed exams without charging fees. It also requires accommodations for classes, exams, or registration held on Friday after 4 p.m. or on Saturday when practicable, and bars adverse or prejudicial effects against students who use these protections. Institutions must give written notice to students about these rights, and students may enforce the law through an action in Supreme Court in the county where the institution is located. The bill takes effect immediately.

Impact

The bill would amend the Education Law by adding a new section applicable to higher-education institutions recognized by CUNY’s Board of Trustees, while excluding religious institutions primarily training clergy or propagating doctrine. It would impose affirmative obligations on faculty and administrators at covered colleges to provide make-up opportunities, waive related fees, and notify students of their rights. It also broadens existing holiday-accommodation protections by expressly including the Asian Lunar New Year as a protected cultural observance treated like a religious holiday for excusal purposes.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a student-accommodation and inclusion bill with a generally supportive policy rationale. Its sponsors present it as an expansion of existing protections for religious observance and a recognition of Asian Lunar New Year as a culturally significant observance. No contrary positions are documented in the supplied record.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are the scope of the accommodation mandate and the inclusion of Asian Lunar New Year within a framework otherwise tied to religious belief. Some may question the administrative burden on colleges, the requirement to provide equivalent opportunities without fees, and the availability of a private right of action in Supreme Court. Others may focus on whether the bill’s definition of covered institutions and its treatment of cultural observance alongside religious observance is appropriately tailored. No specific opponents or objections are identified in the provided materials.