ALBANY- Senator James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) has introduced legislation to restore the New York State coat of arms and state flag to its original design. The flag was modified for the first time in 138 years by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who added the line that he often himself used which means “out of many, one.”
The provisions of the bill, also included in the Senate’s one-house budget plan, would undo changes made by former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget negotiations several years ago.
“Everyone who is objective here has a problem with the Governor, in his grand egotism, needing to put his fingerprints on a state flag that had previously been untouched for 138 years,” said Skoufis.
Skoufis says that in his estimation, the addition was “very personality-driven” by the former governor and while nobody objects to the motto itself, respecting history should take priority. Skoufis noted that the change was enacted in budget language, and he hopes to undo the changes in this year’s final enacted budget. The Senate has prioritized the item in its one-house budget resolution approved earlier this week.
Skoufis notes that when the state’s coat of arms was altered to include this secondary motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” to the historical motto familiar to all New Yorkers, “Excelsior” the original moniker of the state became devalued. “This is about really respecting history. It is really about restoring the flag to its previous version that has been around since effectively the Civil War,” said Skoufis.
A video of Senator Skoufis explaining the proposed change can be found here.
