Senate Clears Pennacchio/Brown Bill to Ensure State-Purchased POW-MIA Flags are Manufactured in the USA

All POW-MIA flags purchased with state funds must be manufactured in the United States under legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Pennacchio and Senator Chris Brown and advanced today by the Senate.

“Out of respect for the military members who never came home, these POW-MIA flags are flown, often at state offices and buildings,” said Pennacchio. “When we are remembering these heroes, we should do it with flags manufactured here in the nation they so proudly defended. There’s no reason for the state to buy cheap, imported flags to memorialize our brave soldiers.”

Under current law, any United States of America flag purchased with state funds must be made in the U.S.A. The Pennacchio/Brown bill, S-1398, extends the requirement to include the familiar black-and-white banners recognizing the contributions of prisoners of war and those who are missing in action.

“‘A nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten,’” said Brown. “Our families, who love our country, will never forget the tens of thousands of American warriors who are missing and unaccounted for. A POW-MIA flag, made by Americans, is a familiar reminder of the sacrifices of so many young people and their families.”