Bill Text: TX HR2322 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Commemorating June 14, 2024, as Flag Day.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-30 - Reported enrolled [HR2322 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HR2322-Introduced.html
  88R6720 AMB-F
 
  By: Price H.R. No. 2322
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, For more than two centuries, the American flag has
  symbolized the values, ideals, and spirit of our nation, and
  Americans celebrate Flag Day each year to mark the anniversary of
  the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes on June 14, 1777; and
         WHEREAS, The idea for an annual day of celebration of the
  American flag is believed to have originated in 1885, when a
  Wisconsin public school teacher arranged for his students to
  commemorate "Flag Birthday" on June 14; celebrations were held
  throughout the late 19th century by the Betsy Ross House in
  Philadelphia, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution,
  and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the
  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
         WHEREAS, In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a
  proclamation establishing Flag Day as a nationwide observance,
  calling on Americans to consider it "a day upon which we should
  direct our minds with a special desire of renewal to thoughts of the
  ideals and principles of which we have sought to make our great
  Government the embodiment"; with the observance growing in
  popularity in communities around the country, President Harry
  Truman signed an Act of Congress in 1949 officially designating
  June 14 as National Flag Day; and
         WHEREAS, Known fondly as the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory,
  and the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag originally bore 13 stars in a
  circle, representing the original 13 states of the union, and the
  number has expanded as the nation has grown; the blue field behind
  the stars signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice; the
  flag's 13 stripes reflect the number of colonies that joined
  together to become an independent nation, with the white stripes
  also symbolizing purity and innocence and the red stripes
  symbolizing hardiness and valor; and
         WHEREAS, The flag has been a source of strength and comfort to
  American troops in wartime and was a particularly poignant symbol
  for soldiers taking part in the D-Day invasion during World War II
  and for American prisoners of war in Vietnam; one of the POWs, Mike
  Christian, secretly sewed a flag to his clothing to inspire his
  fellow prisoners, and he was undaunted by the savage beating he
  received from his North Vietnamese captors in retaliation; and
         WHEREAS, Citizens of totalitarian and communist countries
  often wave the American flag as a symbol of liberty and freedom;
  this was recently witnessed in Hong Kong, when protesters displayed
  the stars and stripes as part of their resistance to communist
  Chinese rule in the territory; and
         WHEREAS, The patriotic display of the flag prompts many
  Americans to sing along with the Lee Greenwood hit "God Bless the
  U.S.A.," proclaiming "I thank my lucky stars - To be living here
  today - 'Cause the flag still stands for freedom - And they can't
  take that away"; moreover, country music icon Johnny Cash wrote his
  song "Ragged Old Flag" to "reaffirm faith in the country and the
  goodness of the American people," and the song is performed at
  events around the nation, from ceremonies at West Point to local
  Veterans Day and Independence Day observances; and
         WHEREAS, The flag that once united our fledgling republic
  continues to be a beacon of hope and freedom for people around the
  world, and Flag Day serves as an occasion to celebrate the legacy of
  Old Glory and to reflect on the national heritage for which it
  stands; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby commemorate June 14, 2024, as Flag Day and
  encourage all Texans to display and pay respect to the American
  flag.
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