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; encouraging display of the flag on certain 
1.5 	days in certain public locations;proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.6 	Statutes, 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 who 
1.21 	have lost their lives in the line of duty while serving honorably in active military service 
1.22 	in the United States armed forces or of a service-connected cause due to or aggravated 
1.23 	by that service, as determined by the United States Department of Defense or the United 
1.24 	States Department of Veterans Affairs.
2.1 		Subd. 3.Suggested days for flag display. (a) The chief administrator of each 
2.2 	governmental building or facility within this state, as defined in paragraph (b), is 
2.3 	encouraged to display the Honor and Remember Flag on the following days each year:
2.4 	(1) Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May;
2.5 	(2) Flag Day, June 14;
2.6 	(3) July 2nd and July 3rd, in remembrance of the 262 soldiers of the 1st Regiment 
2.7 	Minnesota Volunteer Infantry who, at the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil 
2.8 	War, fought so gallantly and successfully to repulse two major Confederate attacks on the 
2.9 	main Union line, suffering over 80 percent casualties, thereby turning the battle and the 
2.10 	war and helping to preserve the Union itself at that pivotal moment in our nation's history;
2.11 	(4) July 4th, Independence Day;
2.12 	(5) the third Friday of September, National POW/MIA Recognition Day;
2.13 	(6) November 11, Veterans Day;
2.14 	(7) July 27, Korean War Armistice Day;
2.15 	(8) March 29, Vietnam Veterans Day; and
2.16 	(9) any day on which the United States flag is displayed at a governmental building 
2.17 	or facility within this state.
2.18 	(b) For purposes of this section, "governmental building or facility within this state" 
2.19 	means the following locations:
2.20 	(1) the Minnesota State Capitol, the Office of the Governor and each other Minnesota 
2.21 	constitutional office, the chambers of the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of 
2.22 	Representatives, the Minnesota Supreme Court Building and each Minnesota District 
2.23 	Court House, as well as any official state of Minnesota veterans memorial, Minnesota 
2.24 	veterans home, or Minnesota veterans cemetery;
2.25 	(2) to the extent authorized by federal law and regulation, any United States veterans 
2.26 	cemetery, veterans memorial, post office, or other federal building, as well as any United 
2.27 	States Department of Veterans Affairs medical center, veterans service center, and veterans 
2.28 	community-based outreach center; and
2.29 	(3) any appropriate local government building or facility, as determined by the 
2.30 	governing body of that local government.
2.31 		Subd. 4.Limitation. This section may not be construed or interpreted to require 
2.32 	any employee to report to work solely for the purpose of providing for the display of the 
2.33 	Honor and Remember Flag or any other flag.
2.34 		Subd. 5.Implementation. If a governmental building or facility within this state 
2.35 	opts to display the Honor and Remember Flag, the chief administrator of that facility shall 
2.36 	prescribe procedures necessary for the display.
3.1 		Subd. 6.Flag donation. Any named public office or public official may accept a 
3.2 	donation of one or more Honor and Remember Flags for the purpose of this section.

3.3 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.