National Pow/Mia Flag Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 693) to amend title 36, United States Code, to require that the POW/MIA flag be displayed on all days that the flag of the United States is displayed on certain Federal property.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: S. 693

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``National POW/MIA Flag Act''. SEC. 2. DAYS ON WHICH THE POW/MIA FLAG IS DISPLAYED ON CERTAIN FEDERAL PROPERTY.

Section 902 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following:

``(c) Days for Flag Display.--For the purposes of this section, POW/MIA flag display days are all days on which the flag of the United States is displayed.''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 693, the National POW/MIA Flag Act. This bill would effectively require that the National League of Families POW/MIA flag be flown every day at certain specified locations.

Under current law, the flag must be displayed on six designated days: Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and Veterans Day. In addition, the flag must be flown at the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Veterans Affairs medical centers, and post offices on every day the United States flag is displayed.

Current law requires that the POW/MIA flag be displayed on these designated days at the Capitol; the White House; the World War II, Korean War Veterans, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials; each national cemetery; the buildings containing offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the Director of the Selective Service System; each major military installation; each Veterans Affairs medical center; and each post office.

This bill simply strikes the provision designating days for display of the POW/MIA flag from current law and replaces it with the mandate that the POW/MIA flag be flown on all days on which the United States flag is displayed.

Enacting this bill into law would be an appropriate tribute to all those who have served our Nation in uniform, and especially those who made the sacrifice of being held prisoner by our Nation's enemies in wartime and for those who remain missing as a result of hostile action.

The POW/MIA flag not only reminds every American of these individuals' sacrifices, but also acts as a symbol of the Nation's commitment to achieve, as the statute says, ``the fullest possible accounting of Americans who, having been prisoners of war or missing in action, still remain unaccounted for.''

I will look at this flag in future years and think of Sam Johnson, a great Member of this House, and John McCain, a great American, an honest American, and a great leader.

I applaud Senator Elizabeth Warren for introducing this bill which passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

I also congratulate Representative Chris Pappas, who introduced an identical bill in the House and has worked tirelessly to shepherd this legislation through House passage. I thank him for his hard work and leadership on this meaningful measure that recognizes these heroes.
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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline) said, this is a straightforward bill that rightly requires that the flag be flown effectively every day at certain locations at great significance to our country and to our Armed Forces and veterans.

It is an appropriate way to honor all those who served, and particularly, those who have been held prisoners and who remain missing because of their service to our Nation in wartime. Therefore, I urge prompt passage of S. 693.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) for his work on the bill, and Senator Warren. I yield back the balance of my time.

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