Washington lawmakers introduced a bill last week that would make Lunar New Year a state-recognized holiday, about a year after legislation calling for it to become a paid holiday failed to advance through the state Legislature.
Bill sponsor Rep. My-Linh Thai, D-Bellevue, said she and 15 co-sponsors proposed the bill as part of an effort to promote inclusion and combat violence targeting Asian Americans.
“We continue to be seen as foreigners,” Thai said. “This is one of the tools in the toolbox to address anti-Asian hate.”
Lawmakers hope statewide recognition of Lunar New Year, one of the largest cultural celebrations among East and Southeast Asian communities, will spread awareness of the holiday, reaffirm cultural heritage and foster a sense of belonging among Asian Americans.
Thai’s bill, HB 2209, advises government agencies and educational and cultural organizations to celebrate Lunar New Year. It also requires the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs to create and develop “Lunar New Year programming and resources that [state] entities may use in planning and structuring their celebrations.”
Last year’s bill, HB 1516, would have made Lunar New Year a paid state holiday that gave state employees and public schools the day off. The 2023 bill would have cost about $5.7 million every two years, according to a fiscal note. Thai’s new proposal estimates needing $10,000 the first year to hire a consultant and purchase materials for the commission and $4,000 in following years to update programming.
The 2023 bill ultimately did not progress due to high costs to taxpayers and a lack of community support for the measure, Thai said.
“On one hand, it pained me,” she said. “But on the other hand, it gave me strength to keep pushing forward with the resolution.”
The legislature currently recognizes 19 days that are not considered legal holidays, including Korean American Day, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day and Human Trafficking Awareness Day. There are 11 paid state legal holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day. Juneteenth, which has been federally observed since 2021, was designated as a day of remembrance in Washington in 2007 before it became a paid state holiday in 2022.
Supporters of the bill say the legislation would help increase awareness of the holiday.
“This bill signifies to our communities that they belong,” said Shomya Tripathy, director of policy and civic engagement at Asian Counseling and Referral Service.
Recognition by state leaders “also signals to everybody else that this is just as important of a holiday as any other holiday,” she said.
Not all groups agree with the direction of this year’s bill, however.
In a statement, the advocacy group Washington Asians for Equality said it’s disappointed with Thai’s new bill, which it said has a weaker impact on the Asian American community because residents would not get a day off to celebrate. The organization said this would dilute efforts to spread awareness of the holiday and “leaves it in the hands of schools and government agencies to decide whether to celebrate Lunar New Year.”
“I think Rep. Thai’s HB 2209 is a step backward from the progress made last year,” said Linda Yang, director of the group. “When students take a day off to celebrate Lunar New Year, they and their families take notice. This creates a ripple effect in society and spreads awareness about Lunar New Year.”
While the new bill wouldn’t grant state employees and schools the day off, “the proposed change does not change the heart of the vision,” Thai said, to make it clear Asian people belong and to honor their cultural heritage.
More than 900,000 Washingtonians identify as Asian, about 12% of the state’s population and about 20% of King County’s population, according to 2020 census data. Lunar New Year celebrations include Tet in Vietnam, Seollal in Korea and Spring Festival in China. Because the holiday is based on the lunar calendar, it isn’t on a set day and floats between January and February. Lunar New Year is generally a 15-day celebration.
Last year, lawmakers amended the 2023 bill in response to testimony by Washington Asians for Equality that requested Lunar New Year be marked on the actual date of the holiday each year. The initial version of HB 1516 designated the Saturday before the start of each Lunar New Year as a legal holiday.
While not all Asian Americans celebrate Lunar New Year, for many people it’s one of the most culturally significant festivities. The holiday is often celebrated with family, foods and activities that honor ancestors by making offerings, gifting red envelopes with money and lion dancing.
During a Jan. 16 hearing for Thai’s bill, several community members testified in support of the legislation, saying the bill recognizes the historic contributions of Asian Americans and the rich cultural landscape of the state.
While this year’s proposal will not pass before celebrations begin on Feb. 10, Thai said the new bill is a step toward building momentum on the ground in Washington for Lunar New Year to eventually become a paid state holiday.
“We want to ensure that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are being seen,” Thai said. “I can’t wait until our communities have been activated and [can] help me move this important policy forward.”
