Bill Text: CA SCR150 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Flag Day.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 15-8)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-29 - From committee: Ordered to third reading. [SCR150 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SCR150-Amended.html
|
Amended
IN
Senate
May 21, 2024 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Concurrent Resolution
No. 150
| Introduced by Senator Ochoa Bogh (Coauthors: Senators Archuleta, Dahle, Dodd, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Menjivar, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, and Wilk) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Essayli, Gallagher, Hoover, Lackey, Mathis, Joe Patterson, Waldron, and Weber) |
May 16, 2024 |
Relative to Flag Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 150, as amended, Ochoa Bogh.
Flag Day.
This measure would recognize June 14, 2024, as Flag Day in California.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, For more than two centuries, the American flag has been a banner of hope for generations of Americans and those seeking freedom around the world; and
WHEREAS, The American flag is a symbol of a country that has grown from 13 colonies to a united nation of 50 sovereign states; a symbol of many units becoming one, true to our nation’s traditional motto, e pluribus unum, “out of many, one”; and
WHEREAS, The first flag of the United States was authorized by congressional resolution on June 14, 1777, resolving that it carry 13 stripes, the colors representing hardiness and valor (red), purity and innocence (white), and that it contain a constellation of 13 white stars on a field of blue to represent justice, vigilance, and perseverance; and
WHEREAS, Since the first American flag, several congressional acts and presidential executive orders have altered the shape, design, and arrangement of the flag, and allowed for additional stars and stripes to reflect the admission of new states; and
WHEREAS, In 1794, Congress passed an act changing the American flag so that it contained 15 stripes and 15 stars; and
WHEREAS, In 1818, President Monroe signed legislation requiring that the American flag have 13 stripes and a star for each state in the union, with stars for newly added states applied to the flag on July 4 of the following year; and
WHEREAS, Flagmakers were able to use imaginative designs to accommodate new stars on the flag until 1912, when President Taft issued an executive order that established rows of stars as the standard design; and
WHEREAS, The 48-star American flag, represented by the traditional 13 stripes and six rows of eight stars, was the official flag from 1912 until 1959; and
WHEREAS, On January 3, 1959, Alaska was formally granted statehood and the 49-star American flag, represented by the traditional 13 stripes and seven rows of seven stars, became the official flag when it was first officially raised over Fort McHenry National Historic Site in Baltimore, Maryland on July 4, 1959; and
WHEREAS, President Eisenhower issued Executive Order No. 10834 establishing the design of the new 50-star American flag on August 21, 1959, the same day that Hawaii became the 50th state; and
WHEREAS, The 50-star American flag, the current Stars and Stripes, became the official American flag on July 4, 1960, with a design of 13 stripes and 50 stars, represented by five rows of six stars alternating with four rows of five stars; and
WHEREAS, On May 30, 1916, President Wilson issued a proclamation calling for the first nationwide observance of Flag Day; and
WHEREAS, In 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating the 14th day of June every year as National Flag Day; and
WHEREAS, Despite the numerous designs of the American flag, they have all stood for the United States Constitution, the American way of life, our collective past achievements, and our dreams for the future; and
WHEREAS, The United States Flag Code, as adopted by Congress, states, “the flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing,” and this is why we should give the flag our full respect; and
WHEREAS, Redlands Elementary School teacher Miss Mary Fackley Fackler is attributed with starting the tradition of saying the Pledge of Allegiance in schools when she had her students regularly recite the first iteration of the Pledge written by Francis Bellamy that read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible with Liberty and Justice for all”; and
WHEREAS, By Act of Congress, dated June 20, 1985, Public Law 99-54 was passed to recognize the “pause for the Pledge of Allegiance” as part of the celebration of National Flag Day throughout the nation; and
WHEREAS, Flag Day celebrates our nation’s symbol of unity, a representative democracy in a republic, and stands for our country’s devotion to freedom, the rule of law, and equal rights; and
WHEREAS, The American flag has been immortalized in song, including “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa, “You’re a Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan, and our national anthem, “Star-Spangled Banner,” by Francis Scott Key; and
WHEREAS, Since the founding of our nation, the American flag has held a unique place in the hearts of those brave men and women who have served in our nation’s Armed Forces, whereby in each of our nation’s wars, examples may be found of soldiers offering their lives not only in defense of our nation, but also in honor of our flag and the principles it embodies; and
WHEREAS, In 2024, the 50-star American flag celebrates its 64th anniversary as the official Stars and Stripes, representing the longest period that any fixed American flag design has been used; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes June 14, 2024, as Flag Day in California and encourages the citizens of the state to celebrate the symbol of our freedom and remember the hard work and sacrifices that so many made to ensure that freedom; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
