Section 6A of Chapter 2 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 official edition is hereby amended by adding at the end the following paragraph:-

(h)  All military service members (Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, National Guard, and Reserves) residing in Massachusetts, and performing military duty under official orders, who are killed while in an active duty  status, will be honored by having flags throughout the  Commonwealth flown at half-staff from the day of death until sunset of the day of interment in accordance with such orders or instructions as may be issued by, or at the direction of the governor.  The remains of POWs/MIAs  repatriated within the Commonwealth shall have the flag half-staffed on the day of arrival within the Commonwealth through the day of internment.  Additionally, flags will be half-staffed each year on national POW/MIA Day, observed across the nation on the third Friday of September, from sunrise to sunset.