2014 -- H 7282

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LC003599

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE

FLAG

     Introduced By: Representatives MacBeth, Costa, Dickinson, McLaughlin, and Azzinaro

     Date Introduced: January 30, 2014

     Referred To: House Veterans` Affairs

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 42-4 of the General Laws entitled "State Emblems" is hereby

amended by adding thereto the following section:

     42-4-19. Honor and remembrance flag. – (a) The honor and remembrance flag created

by Honor and Remember, Inc., is hereby designated as the state's official emblem of service and

sacrifice by the brave men and women of the United States armed forces who have given their

lives in the line of duty and any police personnel, fire personnel, EMTs, rescue personnel, or any

branch of law enforcement who have lost their lives in the line of duty in response to a terrorist

activity.

     (b) Findings. (1) Since the Revolutionary War, more than one million members of the

United States armed forces have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives in the line of

duty.

     (2) The contribution of those fallen members of the armed forces are deserving of

national recognition.

     (3) Currently, there is no officially recognized symbol that specifically acknowledges

members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

     (c) Required display. The honor and remembrance flag shall be displayed at the locations

specified in subsection (c) on the days specified. The required honor and remembrance flag

display days are the following:

     (1) Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May;

     (2) Memorial Day, the last Monday in May;

     (3) Flag Day, June 14;

     (4) Fourth of July;

     (5) The Victory Day holiday, the second Monday of August; and

     (6) National POW/MIA Recognition Day;

     (7) Veterans' Day, November 11;

     (8) Gold Star Mother's Day, the last Sunday of September;

     (9) Whenever there is a state military casualty;

     (d) Locations for flag display. The locations for the display of the honor and

remembrance flag under subsection (b) are the following:

     (1) The state capitol building;

     (2) The building that serves as the location of the superior court in a county;

     (3) The building that serves as the city or town hall of each incorporated city or town; and

     (4) Any other state locations that are deemed appropriate for that state.

     (e) Display to be in a manner visible to the public. Display of the honor and remembrance

flag pursuant to this section shall be in a manner designed to ensure visibility to the public at state

military memorials and state veterans' cemeteries.

     (f) Limitation. This section may not be construed or applied so as to require any

employee to report to work solely for the purpose of providing for the display of the honor and

remembrance flag, or any other flag.

     (g) The honor and remembrance flag created by Honor and Remember, Inc. is designated

as the symbol of our state's concern and commitment to honoring and remembering the lives of

all members of the United States armed forces who have lost their lives while serving, or as a

result of service and their families.

     The honor and remembrance flag's red field represents the blood shed by brave men and

women who sacrificed their lives for freedom and the flag's white field and border recognizes the

purity of that sacrifice. The flag's blue star is a symbol of active service in military conflict that

dates back to World War I. The flag's gold star signifies the ultimate sacrifice of a warrior in

active service who is not returning home and reflects the value of the life given. The folded flag

element highlights this nation's final tribute to a fallen service member and a family's sacrifice.

The flag's flame symbolizes the eternal spirit of the departed.

     The honor and remembrance flag is a unifying symbol recognizing this nation's solemn

debt to the estimated one million six hundred thousand (1,600,000) fallen service members

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throughout history and the families and communities who mourn their loss.

     (h) Time of display. The flag shall be displayed in a manner visible to the pubic. Display

of the honor and remembrance flag pursuant to this section shall be in a manner designed to

ensure visibility to the public.

     It should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary

flagstaffs in the open. The flag may be displayed twenty-four (24) hours a day if properly

illuminated during the hours of darkness. It should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.

It should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement, except when an all-weather

flag is displayed.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE

FLAG

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     This act would designate the honor and remembrance flag created by Honor and

Remember, Inc. as the state's official emblem for United States military service members and

would specify the days and circumstances during which the flag would be displayed.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC003599

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