1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to veterans; designating the Honor and Remember Flag as an official 
1.3 	symbol of the state's commitment to military service members who have lost 
1.4 	their lives in service to our country; requiring display of the flag on certain 
1.5 	days in certain locations; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, 
1.6 	chapter 197.
1.7 	BE 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 
1.10 	and determines that:
1.11 	(1) since the revolutionary war, more than 1,000,000 members of the United States 
1.12 	armed forces have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives in active military 
1.13 	service for the United States of America;
1.14 	(2) the contribution made by those fallen members of the armed forces is deserving 
1.15 	of state and national recognition; and
1.16 	(3) the Honor and Remember Flag is an appropriate symbol that acknowledges the 
1.17 	selfless sacrifice of those members of the United States armed forces. 
1.18 		Subd. 2.Designation. The Honor and Remember Flag created by Honor and 
1.19 	Remember, Inc., is designated as the symbol of our state's concern and commitment to 
1.20 	honoring and remembering the lives of all members of the United States Armed Forces 
1.21 	who have lost their lives in the line of duty while serving honorably in active military 
1.22 	service in the United States armed forces or of a service-connected cause due to or 
1.23 	aggravated by that service, as determined by the United States Department of Defense or 
1.24 	the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
2.1 		Subd. 3.Required days for flag display. (a) The Honor and Remember Flag must 
2.2 	be displayed at the locations specified in paragraph (b) on the following days each year:
2.3 	(1) Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May;
2.4 	(2) Flag Day, June 14;
2.5 	(3) July 2nd and July 3rd, in remembrance of the 262 soldiers of the 1st Regiment 
2.6 	Minnesota Volunteer Infantry who, at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil 
2.7 	War, fought so gallantly and successfully to repulse two major Confederate attacks on the 
2.8 	main Union line, suffering over 80 percent casualties, thereby turning the battle and the 
2.9 	war and helping to preserve the Union itself at that pivotal moment in our nation's history;
2.10 	(4) July 4th, Independence Day;
2.11 	(5) the third Friday of September, National POW/MIA Recognition Day; and
2.12 	(6) November 11, Veterans Day.
2.13 	(b) The Honor and Remember Flag may also be displayed in each of the following 
2.14 	locations on any day on which the United States flag is displayed at that location:
2.15 	(1) the Minnesota State Capitol, the Office of the Governor and each other Minnesota 
2.16 	constitutional office, the chambers of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of 
2.17 	Representatives, the Minnesota Supreme Court Building and each Minnesota District 
2.18 	Court House, as well as any official state of Minnesota veterans memorial, Minnesota 
2.19 	veterans home, or Minnesota veterans cemetery; and
2.20 	(2) to the extent authorized by federal law and regulation, any United States Veterans 
2.21 	Cemetery, Veterans Memorial, Post Office, or other federal building, as well as any United 
2.22 	States Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Veterans Service Center, and 
2.23 	Veterans Community-Based Outreach Center.
2.24 		Subd. 4.Limitation. This section may not be construed or interpreted to require 
2.25 	any employee to report to work solely for the purpose of providing for the display of the 
2.26 	Honor and Remember Flag or any other flag.
2.27 		Subd. 5.Implementation. No later than 60 days following enactment of this 
2.28 	section, the leading official of each office, agency, or other establishment responsible for a 
2.29 	location specified in subdivision 3, paragraph (b), shall prescribe procedures necessary 
2.30 	to carry out this section.
2.31 		Subd. 6.Procurement and distribution of flags. No later than 60 days following 
2.32 	enactment of this section, the official responsible for procurement within each office, 
2.33 	agency, or facility named in subdivision 3, paragraph (b), shall commence the procurement 
2.34 	of Honor and Remember Flags and distribute them as necessary to permit compliance 
2.35 	with this section. Any named public office or public official may accept a donation of one 
2.36 	or more Honor and Remember Flags for the purpose of this section.
3.1 		Subd. 7.Postponement permitted. Any timelines and deadlines for implementation 
3.2 	specified in this section may be postponed or delayed by the officials responsible for 
3.3 	implementation out of consideration of the cost or availability of the designated flag.

3.4 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective July 1, 2011.