On September 9, 2023, Lunar New Year became a public school holiday in the state of New York. Flushing, Queens Councilwoman Sandra Ung introduced and passed the resolution in the New York City Council to designate Lunar New Year as a federal holiday.

Ung, born in Cambodia to Chinese parents, is one of six New York City Council members that are Asian American — the most ever in New York City history. The members include the first Muslim American woman, the first Korean Americans, and the first South Asian Americans ever elected to the council.

Since being elected in 2021, they have gone on to make history working towards legislation that supports the AAPI community. Ung, in particular, is an advocate for Asian language access in her district that is home to the largest number of Chinese immigrants in the city.