Bill Text: TX HR2322 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
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-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 2322 | ||
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| 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. | ||
| Price | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 2322 was adopted by the House on May | ||
| 29, 2023, by a non-record vote. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
