Introduction of A Bill to Permit the Flag of the United States to Be Flown At Half-Staff in the Event of the Death of A Mayor of the District of Columbia

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce a bill that would make a small but respectful change to federal law by adding the Mayor of the District of Columbia to the list of named principals for whom the President shall order the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff. Current law states that the President shall make this order ``upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possession, as a mark of respect to their memory.'' Surely the D.C. Mayor, who has the same responsibilities as governors of states and territories, should qualify as such a principal. This bill is part of our series of bills to ensure equal treatment for the over 700,000 D.C. residents. In the 116th Congress, the House Committee on the Judiciary passed this bill.

Congress has already acknowledged that D.C. is entitled to a place among the states for certain honors. For example, legislation we got enacted gave D.C. a coin after D.C. was omitted from legislation creating coins for the states and required the armed services to display the D.C. flag whenever the flags of the states are displayed. We got D.C.'s Frederick Douglass and Pierre L'Enfant statues placed in the Capitol, alongside two statues from each state. We also successfully worked with the U.S. Postal Service to create a D.C. stamp, like the stamps for the states, and with the National Park Service to add the D.C. flag alongside the state flags near Union Station.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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