[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 16, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H4552-H4553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORTING GOALS AND IDEALS OF FLAG DAY

  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1429) celebrating the symbol of the United 
States flag and supporting the goals and ideals of Flag Day.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1429

       Whereas Flag Day is celebrated annually on June 14, the 
     anniversary of the official adoption of the American flag by 
     the Continental Congress in 1777;
       Whereas, on June 14, 1777, in order to establish an 
     official flag for the new Nation, the Continental Congress 
     passed the first Flag Act, which stated, ``Resolved, That the 
     flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, 
     alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, 
     white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation'';
       Whereas the second Flag Act, signed January 13, 1794, 
     provided for 15 stripes and 15 stars after May 1795;
       Whereas the Act of April 4, 1818, which provided for 13 
     stripes and one star for each State, to be added to the flag 
     on July 4 following the admission of each new State, was 
     signed by President James Monroe;
       Whereas in an Executive order dated June 24, 1912, 
     President William Howard Taft established the proportions of 
     the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in 6 
     horizontal rows of 8 each, a single point of each star to be 
     upward;
       Whereas in an Executive order dated January 3, 1959, 
     President Dwight D. Eisenhower provided for the arrangement 
     of the stars in 9 rows staggered horizontally and 11 rows of 
     stars staggered vertically;
       Whereas the first celebration of the American flag is 
     believed to have been introduced by Bernard Cigrand, a 
     Wisconsin school teacher, who arranged for his pupils at 
     Stony Hill School in Waubeka to celebrate June 14 as ``Flag 
     Birthday'' in 1885;
       Whereas, on June 14, 1894, the Governor of New York ordered 
     that the American flag be displayed at all public buildings 
     in the State, prompting many State and local governments to 
     begin observing Flag Day;
       Whereas President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first 
     nationwide Flag Day in 1916;
       Whereas in 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed 
     legislation requesting National Flag Day be observed 
     annually;
       Whereas the United States flag is a symbol of our great 
     Nation and its ideals;
       Whereas in times of national crisis, Americans look to the 
     United States flag as a symbol of hope, courage, and freedom;
       Whereas the United States flag is universally honored;
       Whereas the United States flag honors the men and women of 
     the Armed Forces who have given their life in the defense of 
     the United States;
       Whereas the United States flag serves as a treasured symbol 
     of the loss of loved ones to the countless families of those 
     who died in defense of our Nation; and
       Whereas June 14, 2010, is recognized as Flag Day: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives celebrates the 
     United States flag and supports the goals and ideals of Flag 
     Day.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H. Res. 1429 celebrates our Nation's most enduring 
symbol: the American flag. With this resolution, this Chamber expresses 
its support for the annual recognition of Flag Day.
  The gentleman from Ohio, Representative Robert Latta, introduced H. 
Res. 420 on June 9, 2010. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
and Government Reform, which waived consideration of the bill to 
expedite its consideration on the floor today.
  We celebrate Flag Day on June 14, the anniversary of the Continental 
Congress' passage of the first Flag Act in 1777. The flag is our 
symbol--a symbol of hope, courage, and freedom. All around the world, 
it represents the American people and our highest ideals. We, the 
people, have always looked to our flag as a symbol of hope, courage, 
and freedom, and for over 100 years, we have celebrated it each June.
  As stated in this bill, the first celebration of the American flag is 
believed to have been introduced by Bernard Cigrand, a Wisconsin 
schoolteacher, who arranged for his pupils to celebrate June 14 as Flag 
Day in 1885. In 1947, President Truman signed legislation requesting 
that Flag Day be observed nationally each year, formalizing the 
tradition of annual Flag Day celebrations.
  The flag honors the countless men and women of the Armed Forces who 
have died serving to defend the United States. It is a lasting symbol 
of their sacrifice. As public servants, we rightly pledge our 
allegiance to the flag each day as do millions of Americans.
  As we remember who we serve here in this Chamber, the flag stands 
before the entire world as a symbol of our shared values, our hopes, 
our aspirations, and our ideals each day of the year, and I am glad 
that we take this time each June to celebrate that fact.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).
  Mr. LATTA. I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to stand before you today in support of 
House Resolution 1429. This resolution celebrates the symbol of the 
United States, and it supports the goals and ideals of Flag Day.
  Flag Day is celebrated on June 14, which was the anniversary of the 
official adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress in 
1777. This was done by the first Flag Act, which stated, ``Resolved, 
that the flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternating 
red and white, that the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, 
representing a new constellation.''
  Since 1777, our flag's design has been altered three times under 
Executive orders, rearranging the design of the stars and the stripes 
each time a State was added.
  To reiterate what the gentlewoman has stated, the first celebration 
of Flag Day is believed to have been introduced by Bernard Cigrand, a 
Wisconsin schoolteacher, who arranged for his students at Stony Hill 
School to celebrate June 14 as Flag Birthday in 1885.
  President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first nationwide Flag Day in 
1916. In 1947, President Harry Truman signed legislation requesting 
National Flag Day be observed annually.
  Flag Day is an important holiday as our flag is the official symbol 
for our great Nation and its ideals. Our flag serves as a beacon of 
hope, courage, and freedom during times of crisis and triumph alike.
  The flag honors the men and women of the Armed Forces who have paid 
the ultimate sacrifice in defending the United States, and it serves as 
a symbol to those families who have lost loved ones while defending our 
Nation.
  Madam Speaker, it is with great honor that I ask for unanimous 
consent on H. Res. 1429 as we celebrate our Nation's flag.
  Ms. WATSON. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, each one of our States proudly flies its own flag, but 
the flag that reigns supreme flies above ours. In each one of our 
offices here in the Capitol, we have the flags from our States or from 
our territories and the flag of the United States.

[[Page H4553]]

  I proudly say that the flag of California has a bear on it because we 
are the last frontier, and the strength of the bear represents the 
strength of our State. Also, current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is 
one of those who serves under the California flag, and he has his star 
on the Walk of Fame.
  So I am so proud that the flag that the Speaker stands in front of in 
this Chamber and that adorns this Chamber is the flag that we 
celebrate. Every single American and every single person who lives in 
our country pays homage to our flag by flying it high.
  I again urge all of my colleagues, Madam Speaker, to join me in 
supporting this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  All right. Now, this bill is actually something I can get excited 
about and that I'm sure we can be in unison on. So I hope Chairman 
Towns, wherever he might be, hears that loud and clear.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1429, 
celebrating the symbol of the United States flag and supporting the 
goals and ideals of Flag Day.
  The American flag has been our national symbol for 233 years, and it 
remains a symbol of freedom wherever it is flown. Since 1777, when the 
Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes, our flag has 
stood for liberty and justice.
  Flag Day was first celebrated throughout the country in 1885, as one 
early supporter, Bernard Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, wanted 
June 14 to be known as ``Flag Birthday.'' The idea quickly caught on, 
and many people wanted to participate. In 1894, the Governor of New 
York asked that all public buildings fly the flag on June 14 to begin 
observing Flag Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Flag 
Day as a national celebration. However, the holiday was not officially 
recognized until 1949 when President Harry Truman signed the National 
Flag Day bill.
  Since the beginning of our Republic, Americans have flown the flag to 
show their appreciation and pride for this great Nation. Every day, 
Americans pledge their allegiance to the flag, and our troops carry the 
flag as they defend the liberties for which it stands. On Flag Day, we 
remember the importance of our oldest national symbols, and we reflect 
on the loss of loved ones who died in defense of our Nation.
  Let us pledge allegiance to this flag, to declare our patriotism and 
to raise its colors high to express our pride and respect for the 
American way of life and for the freedom that it represents.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1429.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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