1.2relating to veterans; designating the Honor and Remember Flag as an official
1.3symbol of the state's commitment to military service members who have lost
1.4their lives in service to our country; encouraging display of the flag on certain
1.5days in certain public locations; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
1.6Statutes, chapter 197.
1.7BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8    Section 1. [197.987] HONOR AND REMEMBER FLAG.
1.9    Subdivision 1. Legislative findings. The legislature of the state of Minnesota finds
1.10and determines that:
1.11(1) since the Revolutionary War, more than 1,000,000 members of the United States
1.12armed forces have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives in active military
1.13service for the United States of America;
1.14(2) the contribution made by those fallen members of the armed forces is deserving
1.15of state and national recognition; and
1.16(3) the Honor and Remember Flag is an appropriate symbol that acknowledges the
1.17selfless sacrifice of those members of the United States armed forces.
1.18    Subd. 2. Designation. The Honor and Remember Flag described in subdivision
1.193 is designated as the symbol of our state's concern and commitment to honoring and
1.20remembering the lives of all members of the United States armed forces who have lost
1.21their lives in the line of duty while serving honorably in active military service in the
1.22United States armed forces or of a service-connected cause due to or aggravated by that
1.23service, as determined by the United States Department of Defense or the United States
1.24Department of Veterans Affairs. This designation is contingent on the flag being available
1.25for purchase at a reasonable price.
2.1    Subd. 3. Description. The Honor and Remember Flag shall conform substantially
2.2to the following description: The Honor and Remember Flag is the same standard
2.3proportions as the flag of the United States of America. Its design contains a red field that
2.4occupies the top three-quarters and a white field that occupies the bottom quarter of the
2.5flag. In the center of the red field is a five-pointed, gold star with the top point located
2.6near the top of the red field and the two bottom points extending about one-quarter of the
2.7way into the white field. The gold star has a white border surrounded by a blue border.
2.8Between the two bottom points of the star is a tri-folded American flag displaying the blue
2.9field and some stars, which is the configuration of the American flag presented to the
2.10family of the deceased at a military memorial service. At the top of the tri-folded flag,
2.11extending into the center of the gold star, is a stylized, three-part flame, with one blue part
2.12and two red parts. In the white field below the tri-folded flag, the words "Honor and
2.13Remember" are centered. The Honor and Remember Flag is protected by U. S. copyright,
2.14registration number VA0001670661, owned by Honor and Remember, Inc.
2.15    Subd. 4. Suggested days for flag display. (a) The chief administrator of each
2.16governmental building or facility within this state, as defined in paragraph (b), is
2.17encouraged to display the Honor and Remember Flag on the following days each year:
2.18(1) Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May;
2.19(2) Flag Day, June 14;
2.20(3) July 2nd and July 3rd, in remembrance of the 262 soldiers of the 1st Regiment
2.21Minnesota Volunteer Infantry who, at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil
2.22War, fought so gallantly and successfully to repulse two major Confederate attacks on the
2.23main Union line, suffering over 80 percent casualties, thereby turning the battle and the
2.24war and helping to preserve the Union itself at that pivotal moment in our nation's history;
2.25(4) July 4th, Independence Day;
2.26(5) the third Friday of September, National POW/MIA Recognition Day;
2.27(6) November 11, Veterans Day;
2.28(7) July 27, Korean War Armistice Day;
2.29(8) March 29, Vietnam Veterans Day; and
2.30(9) any day on which the United States flag is displayed at a governmental building
2.31or facility within this state.
2.32(b) For purposes of this section, "governmental building or facility within this state"
2.33means the following locations:
2.34(1) the Minnesota State Capitol, the Office of the Governor and each other Minnesota
2.35constitutional office, the chambers of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of
2.36Representatives, the Minnesota Judicial Center and each Minnesota District Court House,
3.1any official state of Minnesota veterans memorial, Minnesota veterans home, Minnesota
3.2veterans cemetery, state veterans service centers, and state veterans community-based
3.3outreach centers; and
3.4(2) any appropriate local government building or facility, as determined by the
3.5governing body of that local government.
3.6    Subd. 5. Limitation. This section may not be construed or interpreted to require
3.7any employee to report to work solely for the purpose of providing for the display of the
3.8Honor and Remember Flag or any other flag.
3.9    Subd. 6. Implementation. If a governmental building or facility within this state
3.10opts to display the Honor and Remember Flag, the chief administrator of that facility shall
3.11prescribe procedures necessary for the display.
3.12    Subd. 7. Flag donation. Notwithstanding sections 10A.071 and 471.895, any
3.13named public office or public official may accept a donation of one or more Honor and
3.14Remember Flags for the purpose of this section.
3.15EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective the day following final enactment.