WHEREAS, October 12, 1992, marks the five hundredth anniversary of the voyages of discovery of Christopher Columbus;
WHEREAS, Columbus' joining of the New World and the Old began the modern era of human history;
WHEREAS, all persons in this State should look with pride on the achievements and contributions of their ancestors with respect to those historic voyages;
WHEREAS, the governments and people of Spain and Italy should be recognized and commended for their historic role and contributions to those voyages;
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to celebrate and commemorate this anniversary through local and statewide observances;
WHEREAS, it is important that the observance of the anniversary balance the goals of ceremony and celebration with scholarship and education;
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the State of New York joins the peoples of Spain, Italy and the Americas in observing the quincentenary in honor of Columbus, in recognition of our common heritage, and as a reminder of the history on which our accomplishments are based;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARIO M. CUOMO, 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:
There is hereby created a commission to be known as the New York State Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Commission. The members of the commission shall be appointed by the Governor and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. Commission members shall be broadly representative of the people of the State of New York. One of the members shall be designated as Chairman by, and shall serve in the position of Chairman at the pleasure of, the Governor.
The Governor's Office of Special Projects and Protocol shall serve as the coordinating agency for the commission and the director of such office shall serve as the director and an ex officio member of the commission. In carrying out the duties of the commission, the director shall consult with appropriate State officials, including the executive director of the Governor' s Office of Hispanic Affairs and the assistant to the Governor for Ethnic Relations.
Members shall receive no compensation, but shall be entitled to reasonable reimbursement for any necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties.
The commission shall:
Whenever possible, the Commission shall make use of existing staff and resources in the various State agencies, which are hereby directed to render full cooperation and assistance to the commission.
Signed: Mario M. CuomoDated: September 22, 1988
[FN*] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 31 (George E. Pataki), infra.]
[FN[DAGGER]] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 5 (Eliot Spitzer), infra.]
[Revoked by Executive Order No. 9 (David A. Paterson), infra.]
[Revoked by Executive Order No. 2 (Andrew M. Cuomo), infra.]
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 9 § 4.112