[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 14, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S3773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BROWN of Ohio:
  S. 1188. A bill to require the purchase of domestically made flags of 
the United States of America for use by the Federal Government; to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the All-
American Made Flag Act, on this 234th celebration of Flag Day in our 
Nation, On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress first adopted 
a flag for our new country, bestowing a meaning to the stars and 
stripes of our founding commitment to freedom and democracy.
  Our flag inspires servicemembers in times of war; it looks over state 
capitals and schools, stadiums and veterans halls as a reminder of the 
price of our peace and security. It stood through the smoke in Pearl 
Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the rubble in New York City and 
Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001. The flag instills hope of a 
better life for generations of immigrants, embodying an aspiration of 
free people around the world. Americans pledge allegiance to the flag, 
reminding us about our Nation's history, and the system of checks and 
balances and separation of powers that tenders the balance of our laws 
and freedoms.
  The flag that inspired our national anthem rests in the Smithsonian's 
National Museum of American History. Smaller, hand-held flags are 
waived during Fourth of July Parades and on Memorial Day are placed 
alongside headstones. But whether in museums or in parades or upon 
memorials, the American flag reaffirms the power and meaning first 
ascribed to it by our founders.
  And what better way to celebrate its meaning, our Nation's history 
and virtue, than to ensure it is stamped with the Made-in-America 
label. On this day, I introduce the All-American Made Flag Act, which 
would require that American flags purchased by the Federal Government 
are entirely made in America.
  Across the nation, and especially in Ohio, manufacturers and 
businesses have been making and selling American flags for generations. 
In Coschocton, Ohio, the nation's oldest and largest producer of 
American flags has been doing so since 1851. From the first World's 
Fair in New York City, through the Civil War and World War II, and into 
the universe and onto the moon these flags, made in Coschocton, have 
played a role in our nation's history. Today, on Flag Day, it joins 
other businesses that sell All-American made American flags, from 
Cincinnati to Dayton to Columbus to Cleveland.
  Few things can give better meaning to the Made-in-America label than 
our own flag. The All-American Made Flag Act would provide that 
meaning, and in doing so, would invest in America's workers and 
manufacturers who embody the ingenuity and patriotism embodied in the 
very flag itself.
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