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All-American Flag Act

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 15, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Business and Consumers Defense Government Operations

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Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 113 is a bipartisan bill to ensure government agencies buy United States flags made only from 100 percent American- made materials.

Most Americans may think American flags purchased with taxpayer money for the government are made here at home by Americans using only U.S. materials. Surprisingly, this is not a uniform requirement in current Federal acquisition laws and regulations.

Requirements in current law are inconsistent when it comes to the content of American flags purchased by executive agencies. The Department of Defense and the military departments generally are required to buy American flags made entirely of U.S. materials, but civilian agencies are currently permitted to buy flags that are manufactured in the U.S. consisting of only 51 percent American-made material, or sometimes even less than that.

This bill brings all executive agencies under a single rule about the content of American flags bought by the Federal Government. The bill harmonizes and integrates this single rule with existing laws that require domestic content of U.S. flags purchased by the government.

Rather than impose new rules and exceptions for DOD and civilian agency flag purchases, the All-American Flag Act recognizes and essentially adopts current DOD requirements and exceptions. The bill makes those flag purchasing standards permanent law and applies the rules to civilian agencies that buy U.S. flags.

H.R. 113 contains limited exceptions that recognize practical realities such as domestic nonavailability. These exceptions reflect those contained in current law governing DOD purchase of textiles, including U.S. flags.

I thank Representative Bustos and the many cosponsors who are leading this effort to honor America's greatest symbol of freedom, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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