New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 9 - Executive Orders (Kathy Hochul) › Section 9.70 - Executive Order No. 70: Establishing the 400 Years of African-American History Commission

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, the diverse, important and numerous contributions
					 that African-American and Black New Yorkers have made and continue to make to
					 New York State, our economy, and our culture have frequently been minimized or
					 overlooked because of the enduring effects of slavery, persistent racism, and
					 frequent discrimination in our laws and society;
WHEREAS, over 400 years have passed since the arrival of
					 the first enslaved Africans at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619, marking the
					 beginning of a period of hundreds of years during which people from Africa were
					 involuntarily taken from their homelands and brought to the colonies that
					 eventually became the United States, where they were forced to endure lifetimes
					 of enslavement and discrimination, and recognizing that African-American and
					 Black New Yorkers still suffer from disparate outcomes in health, economic
					 prosperity, public safety, and general welfare;
WHEREAS, New York is committed to ending such disparities
					 and ensuring that the expansive contributions, achievements and culture of
					 African-American and Black New Yorkers are uplifted and recognized for their
					 beneficial impact on the health, economic prosperity, public safety and general
					 welfare of all New Yorkers; and
WHEREAS, due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the
					 intent and purpose of Chapter 22 of the laws of 2020 has never been
					 fulfilled;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, KATHY HOCHUL, Governor of the State of
					 New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws
					 of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
1. There shall be established at the Department of State the 400
					 Years of African-American History Commission (the Commission).
2. The Commission shall consist of fifteen
					 members, including the Secretary of State, or their designee, the Commissioner
					 of Education, or their designee, seven members appointed by the Governor, two
					 members recommended to the Governor by the Temporary President of the Senate,
					 two members recommended to the Governor by the Speaker of the Assembly, one
					 member recommended to the Governor by the Senate Minority Leader, and one
					 member recommended to the Governor by the Assembly Minority Leader.
3. Members shall include but not be limited
					 to historians and those with a background in African-American history, arts, or
					 culture.
4. Such appointments shall
					 be submitted to the Department of State within 90 days of the effective date of
					 this Executive Order.
5. A vacancy
					 on the Commission shall be filled in the same manner in which the original
					 appointment was made.
6. The
					 Secretary of State, or their designee, shall serve as the Chair and shall
					 appoint the Vice-Chair of the Commission. The presence of a majority of the
					 authorized membership of the Commission shall be required for the conduct of
					 official business.
7. The
					 Department of State shall provide technical assistance, data, and such other
					 support to the Commission as may be necessary for the Commission to carry out
					 its responsibilities pursuant to this order.
8. The Commission shall submit a report to
					 the Governor and the Legislature that contains a summary of its planned
					 activities, an accounting of its received and expended funds, and its findings
					 and recommendations on or before October 1, 2023.
9. The Commission shall submit a report to
					 the Governor and the Legislature that contains a summary of its activities, and
					 its findings and recommendations on or before June 1, 2024.
GIVEN under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State in the
					 City of Albany this ninth day of March in the year two thousand
					 twenty-two.
Signed: Kathy Hochul
Dated: March 9, 2022