Sponsors (41)
The bill gives federal workers a paid holiday and federal recognition of Lunar New Year, trading modest additional taxpayer costs and potential one-day disruptions to government services for cultural inclusion and staff time off.
Federal civilian employees will receive a paid federal holiday on Lunar New Year Day, giving them an extra paid day off.
Americans who celebrate Lunar New Year — particularly many Asian American communities — gain federal recognition and cultural inclusion through official acknowledgment of the holiday.
Government services and deadlines may be disrupted on Lunar New Year Day, requiring agencies and local governments to adjust operations and potentially inconveniencing people who need services that day.
Taxpayers and federal agencies will incur additional payroll costs from one more paid holiday for the federal workforce.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds "Lunar New Year Day" to the statutory list of federal legal public holidays in 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a).
Creates a new federal public holiday by adding “Lunar New Year Day” to the list of legal public holidays in Title 5 of the U.S. Code. The change makes Lunar New Year Day a recognized federal holiday for the purposes of federal law governing holidays. The bill is short and procedural: it only sets the short title and amends the holiday list; it does not specify a date, implementation details, or funding for paid leave beyond the existing statutory framework for federal holidays.
Official title: To amend title 5, United States Code, to establish Lunar New Year Day as a Federal holiday, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 28, 2025 by Grace Meng · Last progress January 28, 2025