BILL NUMBER:S8387

TITLE OF BILL:

An act
to amend the military law and the public buildings law, in relation to
the display of certain flags upon the capitol building

PURPOSE:

This bill would provide for the display of the National Honor and
Remember Flag for fallen members of the armed forces.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one of this bill would add a new section 267 to the executive
law, to designate the honor and remember flag for fallen members of
the armed forces. Specifically, this bill would:

(a) Provide for a legislative intent which would find and determine
that:

(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 contributions of those fallen members of the armed forces are
deserving of national recognition.

(3) Currently, there is no officially recognized symbolic flag that
acknowledges members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty.

(b) Adopt the national honor and remember flag for fallen members of
the armed forces as the official honor and remember flag for the
state of New York, stating that the honor and remember flag is the
symbol of our nation's concern and commitment to honoring and
remembering the lives of all members of the United States armed
forces who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

(c) Provide for the procurement and distribution of honor and remember
flags, by requiring that not later than thirty days after the
effective date of this section, the commissioner of general services
shall commence the procurement of honor and remember flags and
distribute them as necessary.

Section two of this bill would amend section 3 of the public buildings
law, to provide that the flag commonly designated as the national
honor and remember flag, shall be displayed upon the capitol building
during the daily sessions of the legislature and on public occasions,

Section three of this bill would provide that this act would take
effect on the 30th day after it shall have become a law.

JUSTIFICATION:

This bill would provide for the designation and display of the
National Honor and Remember Flag by the State of New York.

The National Honor and Remember Flag was established to provide for
the honoring and remembering of all the members of the American Armed
Forces who have given our nation and its people the ultimate
sacrifice, by giving their life in the defense of our nation and its
freedom.

Like the Purple Heart, which is the military honor awarded to those
who have sustained combat injury or death, the Honor and Remember
Flag represents a public recognition that a grateful state and nation
can display to expressly show its gratitude to those service
personnel and their families.

This bill would provide for the adoption of the Honor and Remember
Flag as the official Honor and Remember Flag for the State of New
York, and require its display over the State Capitol Building in
Albany. Similar legislation is being enacted in other states, as well
as by the federal government, as a tribute to our fallen Armed Forces
Service Members.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill in the Senate.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None noted (as this can be maintained within current budget
appropriations).

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act would take effect on the thirtieth day after becoming law.