File No. 421
Senate Bill No. 225
Senate, April 25, 1995. The Committee on
Government Administration and Elections reported
through SEN. SMITH, 14th DIST., Chairman of the
Committee on the part of the Senate, that the bill
ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING GREEN UP DAY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 10-29a of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof:
(a) The governor shall proclaim the fifteenth
day of January of each year prior to 1986, and
commencing on the twentieth day of January in
1986, the first Monday occurring on or after
January fifteenth of each year, to be Martin
Luther King Day, and the last school day before
such day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state as a day honoring Martin
Luther King for his selfless devotion to the
advancement of equality and the preservation of
human rights.
(b) The governor shall proclaim April
fourteenth of each year to be Pan American Day,
which day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state as a day honoring the Latin
American republics, and shall otherwise be
suitably observed by such public exercises in the
state capitol and elsewhere as the governor
designates. If such schools are not in session on
such day, Pan American Day shall be observed in
the schools on the school day next succeeding or
on a succeeding day designated by each local or
regional board of education.
(c) The last Friday of April in each year
shall be observed in Connecticut as Arbor Day. The
governor shall annually designate this day with
suitable proclamation or letter urging that on
Arbor Day schools, civic organizations,
governmental departments and all citizens and
groups give serious thought to, and mark by
appropriate exercises of a public nature, the
value of trees and forests, the ornamentation of
our streets, highways and parks with trees; and
the economic benefits to be derived from
well-cultivated orchards and forests.
(d) The governor shall proclaim May first in
each year to be Loyalty Day, which day shall be
set aside as a special day for the reaffirmation
of loyalty to the United States of America and for
the recognition of the heritage of American
freedom; and the flag of the United States shall
be displayed on all state buildings on said day.
Said day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state.
(e) The governor shall proclaim the first
Sunday in May in each year as Senior Citizens Day,
in honor of the elderly citizens of the state and
in recognition of their continued contribution to
the state and the enrichment of the lives of all
its citizens.
(f) The governor shall, annually, designate
by official proclamation or letter the fourteenth
day of June as Flag Day and suitable exercises,
having reference to the adoption of the national
flag, shall be held in the public schools on the
day so designated or, if that day is not a school
day, on the school day preceding, or on any such
other day as the local or regional board of
education prescribes. On Flag Day suitable
instruction in the method of displaying the flag
and in the respect due the flag shall be given,
based upon the flag code as adopted and revised by
the National Flag Conference.
(g) The governor shall proclaim the second
Monday in September of each year to be School
Safety Patrol Day, which shall be suitably
observed in the public schools of the state with a
program on highway safety to call attention to the
fine work of school safety patrols.
(h) The governor shall proclaim September
twenty-second of each year to be Nathan Hale Day,
which day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state as a day honoring Nathan Hale
for his selfless patriotism.
(i) The governor shall proclaim the last
Friday in September in each year to be Indian Day,
which day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state as a day of commemoration of
American Indians and their contribution to
American life and civilization.
(j) The governor shall proclaim the fourth
Sunday in September in each year as Puerto Rico
Day to honor the contribution to the welfare of
the state made by persons of Puerto Rican
ancestry, which day shall be suitably observed by
such public exercises in the state capitol and
elsewhere as the governor designates. Puerto Rico
Day shall be suitably observed in the public
schools of the state on the school day next
succeeding the fourth Sunday in September or on
such succeeding day as may be designated by the
local or regional board of education.
(k) The governor shall proclaim a day within
the first nine days of October of each year to be
Leif Erikson Day, which day shall be suitably
observed in all the public schools of the state as
a day of commemoration of the Scandinavian peoples
and their culture and the great contribution they
have made to this country in the past and are now
making, and also as a tribute to the gallant
explorations of the Vikings.
(l) The governor shall, also, by proclamation
or letter, annually designate a day, on or about
October ninth, to be known as Fire Prevention Day,
which day shall be observed in the schools and in
such other way as is indicated in such
proclamation or letter.
(m) The governor shall proclaim the second
Monday in October of each year to be Columbus Day.
Suitable exercises shall be held in the public
schools, having reference to the historical events
connected therewith and in commemoration of the
Italian people, their culture and the great
contribution they have made to this country, such
exercises to be held during the week within which
Columbus Day occurs or on such other day as the
local or regional board of education prescribes.
(n) The governor shall annually issue a
proclamation or letter calling for the observance
of the eleventh day of November as Veterans' Day,
in recognition of the service and sacrifice of the
sons and daughters of Connecticut who served in
the naval and military service of the United
States in time of war. Suitable exercises shall be
held in the public schools, having reference to
the historical events connected therewith, such
exercises to be held during the week within which
Veterans' Day occurs or on any such other day as
the local or regional board of education
prescribes.
(o) The governor shall proclaim March
seventeenth of each year to be St. Patrick's Day
to honor the Irish people, their culture and the
contribution they have made to this state and
country, which day shall be suitably observed by
such public exercises in the state capitol and
elsewhere as the governor designates.
(p) The governor shall proclaim October sixth
of each year to be German-American Day to honor
Americans of German ancestry, their culture and
the great contribution they have made to this
country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the
state capitol and elsewhere as the governor
designates for the observance of the day.
(q) The governor shall proclaim the fourth
Sunday in April of each year to be Friends Day in
honor of the enduring value of friendship and in
recognition of the fundamental need, common to
each member of our society, for a friend.
(r) The governor shall proclaim a date
certain in each year as Lithuanian Day to honor
the contribution to the welfare of the state made
by persons of Lithuanian ancestry and to
commemorate the culture of the Lithuanian people.
(s) The governor shall proclaim a date
certain in each year as Powered Flight Day to
honor the first powered flight by the Wright
brothers and to commemorate the Connecticut
aviation and aerospace industry.
(t) The governor shall proclaim August
twenty-fourth of each year to be
Ukrainian-American Day to honor Americans of
Ukrainian ancestry, their culture and the
contribution they have made to this country.
Suitable exercises shall be held in the state
capitol and elsewhere as the governor designates
for the observance of the day.
(u) The governor shall proclaim the third
Wednesday in February in each year as Retired
Teachers Day in honor of the retired teachers of
the state and in recognition of their
contributions.
(v) The governor shall proclaim August
fourteenth of each year as the day to commemorate
the end of World War II. Suitable exercises shall
be held in the state capitol and elsewhere as the
governor designates for the observance of the day.
(w) The governor shall proclaim September
eleventh of each year as 911 Day, which day shall
increase the public's awareness of the emergency
telephone number and shall be observed in the
schools and in other ways as indicated in such
proclamation or letter.
(x) The governor shall proclaim April
twenty-eighth of each year to be Workers' Memorial
Day to commemorate and to honor workers who have
died on the job in the state. Suitable exercises
shall be held in the state capitol and elsewhere
as the governor designates for the observance of
the day.
(y) The governor shall proclaim July
twenty-sixth of each year to be Disability
Awareness Day to heighten public awareness of the
needs of persons with disabilities. Suitable
exercises shall be held in the state capitol and
elsewhere as the governor designates for the
observance of the day.
(z) The governor shall proclaim the first
Saturday in August of each year to be Volunteer
Fire Fighter and Volunteer Emergency Medical
Services Personnel Day in recognition of the
service, sacrifice and contributions of such
volunteers to the public health and safety.
Suitable exercises shall be held in the state
capitol and elsewhere as the governor designates
for the observance of the day.
(aa) The governor shall proclaim August
twenty-sixth of each year to be Women's
Independence Day to commemorate the ratification
of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of
the United States granting women the right to
vote. Suitable exercises shall be held in the
state capitol and elsewhere as the governor
designates for the observance of the day.
(bb) The governor shall proclaim the third
Saturday in June of each year as Destroyer Escort
Day to commemorate and honor the service of
destroyer escort ships in World War II, the Korean
War and the Vietnam War and the sailors who served
on them. Suitable exercises shall be held in the
state capitol and elsewhere as the governor
designates for the observance of the day.
(cc) The governor shall proclaim February
twenty-third of each year to be Iwo Jima Day to
commemorate the raising of the American flag over
the battlefield at Iwo Jima. Suitable exercises
may be held in the state capitol and elsewhere as
the governor designates for the observance of the
day.
(dd) The governor shall proclaim July
twenty-seventh of each year to be Korean Armistice
Day to commemorate the signing of the armistice
ending the Korean hostilities. Suitable exercises
shall be held in the state capitol and elsewhere
as the governor designates for the observance of
the day.
(ee) The governor shall proclaim September
third of each year to be Prudence Crandall Day in
honor of her birthday. Suitable exercises shall be
held in the state capitol and elsewhere as the
governor designates for the observance of the day.
(ff) THE GOVERNOR SHALL PROCLAIM THE LAST
SATURDAY IN APRIL OF EACH YEAR TO BE GREEN UP DAY
TO ENCOURAGE CITIZENS TO CLEAN UP THEIR
COMMUNITIES, TO PLANT TREES AND FLOWERS AND TO
OTHERWISE ENHANCE THE PHYSICAL BEAUTY OF THE
STATE'S COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRYSIDE. SUITABLE
EXERCISES SHALL BE HELD IN THE STATE CAPITOL AND
ELSEWHERE AS THE GOVERNOR DESIGNATES FOR THE
OBSERVANCE OF THE DAY.
[(ff)] (gg) The number of the governor's
proclamations for the initial observance of a day
under any subsection of this section that are
printed, handled and mailed shall be limited to
the following: (1) One copy of each proclamation
issued by the governor shall be distributed (A) to
each municipality, (B) to each school in each
municipality, (C) to each public and private
institution of higher education and (D) to each
public library. (2) One copy of those
proclamations declaring a day of fasting and
prayer, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving Day
shall be distributed to each church and synagogue
in the state. The governor may issue either not
more than one proclamation or not more than one
letter to each such entity to proclaim the
subsequent observance of each such day.
ENV COMMITTEE VOTE: YEA 23 NAY 0 JF C/R GAE
GAE COMMITTEE VOTE: YEA 17 NAY 2 JF