Meng and 19 lawmakers reintroduce Diwali holiday bill

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng and 19 other lawmakers have reintroduced legislation proposing to make Diwali a federal holiday, a measure that would require congressional passage to take effect.

The Diwali Day Act was reintroduced in the House of Representatives. Meng, a New York Democrat who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, announced the proposal on November 9. The bill has not become law, and the reports do not document any further action by Congress.

The legislation would add Diwali, also known as Deepavali or the Festival of Lights, to the federal holiday calendar. If passed, it would become the 12th federally recognized U.S. holiday. Meng’s office said the proposal would amend Section 6103a of Title 5 of the U.S. Code, which lists legal public holidays.

The 19 other lawmakers backing the bill include Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam, Shri Thanedar, Ro Khanna and Ami Bera. Meng said the act would help educate Americans about the festival and recognize the cultural traditions of the communities that observe it.

The bill describes Diwali as an important annual observance for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, as well as people in South Asian, Southeast Asian...