HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2577        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2680

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

John C. Velis

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to recognition of the "Honor and Remember" flag in the Commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2577        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2680

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to recognition of the "Honor and Remember" flag in the Commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 2 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 62. (a) The Honor and Remember Flag created by Honor and Remember, Inc. shall be designated as the symbol of the Commonwealth’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 Remember Flag’s red field shall represent the blood shed by brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom; the Flag’s white field and border shall recognize the purity of that sacrifice; the Flag’s blue star shall be a symbol of the active service in military conflicts that dates back to World War I; the Flag’s gold star shall signify the ultimate sacrifice of a warrior in active service who will not return home and shall reflect the value of the life given; the folded Flag shall highlight this nation’s final tribute to a fallen service member and a family’s sacrifice; and the Flag’s flame shall symbolize the eternal spirit of the departed. The Flag shall be a unifying symbol recognizing this nation’s solemn debt to the estimated 1.6 million fallen service members throughout history and the families and communities who mourn their loss.

(b) The Honor and Remember Flag shall be displayed at the State House, each Superior Court, and each city and town hall on the following days:

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

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

(3) Flag Day, June 14;

(4) The Fourth of July;

(5) National POW/MIA Recognition Day;

(6) Veterans Day, November 11;

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

(8) Whenever there is a military casualty in the Commonwealth.

(c) The Honor and Remember Flag shall be displayed at all state veterans' cemeteries on any day that the American flag is also flown.

(d) This section shall not be construed so as to require any employee to report to work solely for the purpose of providing for the display of the Honor and Remember Flag.

(e) When flown on the same pole or pole formation as other flags, The Honor and Remember flag shall be flown beneath any American Flag, flag of the Commonwealth, or Prisoners of War/Missing in Action flag that may also be flown on said pole or formation.  The Honor and Remember flag shall never be larger than the American flag flown on the same pole or in the same formation of poles.

SECTION 2. The Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Administrator of the Trial Court, the Mayor of each city and the Board of Selectman, or equivalent officers, of each town shall:

(1) procure Honor and Remember Flags within 30 days of the effective date of this act ;

(2) promulgate rules, regulations, or guidance as necessary to carry out the requirements of this act;

(3) pursue funding from state and non-state sources in order to obtain the proper number of flags their jurisdiction shall require under subsections (b) and (c). Sources of funding may include, but shall not be limited to, grants, donations, fundraising or municipal budgets. If is unable to comply with the requirements of this section, the Administrator of the Trial Court, the Mayor of each city or the Board of Selectman, or equivalent officers, of each town shall request a hardship waiver from the Secretary of the Commonwealth. The request shall be accompanied by an action and timeframe to achieve compliance. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall make available to the Trial Court and municipalities a list of grants and other sources of funding that the municipality may access to achieve compliance.

(4) ensure that any Honor and Remember flag in their care be in good condition, free from rips, stains, or significant fading before being flown.