New York J 1538: Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Independence of Guyana

Bill Text

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J01538 Summary:

BILL NOJ01538 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORPERSAUD

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J01538 Actions:

BILL NOJ01538 

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02/05/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

02/10/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

02/10/2026ADOPTED

Go to topJ01538 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ01538 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ01538 Text:

Assembly Resolution No. 1467

BY: M. of A. Santabarbara

 COMMEMORATING the 60th Anniversary of the
 Independence of Guyana

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay just tribute to the cultural heritage of the ethnic groups which
comprise and contribute to the richness and diversity of the community
of the State of New York; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Independence of Guyana; and

 WHEREAS, The people of this great State, Nation and Guyana enjoy a
deep and abiding relationship rooted in kinship and culture; and

 WHEREAS, Independence Day is a significant public holiday in Guyana;
it is celebrated on May 26th every year and it is the day when the
country attained its independence in 1966, when British Dominion over
Guyana ended; and

 WHEREAS, Guyana, officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a
sovereign state on the Caribbean coast of South America; although Guyana
is part of the Anglophone Caribbean, it is one of the few Caribbean
countries that is part of South America; and

 WHEREAS, The European voyagers discovered Guyana in 1498; as a
result, the history of the country dates back to over 500 years; its
history is interrupted by combats wrestled and triumphed, through
properties lost and recovered since the French, Spanish, Dutch and
British settlers battled for hundreds of years to occupy this territory;
and

 WHEREAS, Ultimately, the British Empire was able to take control of
Guyana in 1814; the country attained its well-deserved independence from
the British rulers on May 26, 1966; and

 WHEREAS, In gaining her independence, Guyana today is a nation of
804,000 people that is the only English-speaking nation in South
America; its citizens trace their roots across the Caribbean and India;
and

 WHEREAS, Historically, the region known as Guiana or Guyana
comprised the large shield landmass north of the Amazon River and east
of the Orinoco River known as the Land of Many Waters; and

 WHEREAS, More than 80% of Guyana is still covered by forests,
ranging from dry evergreen and seasonal forests to montane and lowland
evergreen rainforests; these forests are home to more than a thousand
species of trees; and

 WHEREAS, Guyana's tropical climate, unique geology, and relatively
pristine ecosystems support extensive areas of species-rich rainforests
and natural habitats with high levels of endemism; approximately 8,000

species of plants occur in Guyana, half of which are found nowhere else;
and

 WHEREAS, Guyana has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the
world, and with 1,168 vertebrate species and 814 bird species, boasts
one of the richest mammalian fauna assemblages of any comparably sized
area in the world; and

 WHEREAS, The Guyana Shield region is little known and extremely rich
biologically; unlike other areas of South America, over 70% of the
natural habitat remains pristine; and

 WHEREAS, Some notable landmarks to be found in Guyana include:
Kaieteur Falls, the world's largest single-drop waterfall by volume; and
St. George's Anglican Cathedral, one of the tallest wooden church
structures in the world and the second tallest wooden house of worship
after the Today Temple in Japan; and

 WHEREAS, Currently, approximately 140,000 Guyanese immigrants live
in New York City, making them the fifth-largest foreign-born population
in the city; and

 WHEREAS, Many Indo-Guyanese immigrants have settled among other
South Asian immigrants in places such as Richmond Hill and Ozone Park
Queens; other Guyanese are concentrated in large numbers in Brooklyn and
the Bronx; and

 WHEREAS, The 60th Anniversary of Guyana's Independence provides an
opportunity to recognize the significance of their contributions to the
quality and character of life, a