Sending Special Flags to the Families of Emergency Responders Who've Died in the Line of Duty (H.R. 723)

What is H.R. 723?

(Updated February 6, 2018)

This bill seeks to honor first responders that die in the line of duty by giving their families American flags from the Capitol.

Specifically, this bill would give the Representative of any police officer, firefighter, ambulance crew member, or any other kind of emergency or law enforcement personnel the ability to give a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to that person’s family if they died while on duty. It wouldn’t cost the family anything, and it would come with a certificate from the Representative and the Speaker of the House offering their sympathies.

The program would be carried out by the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Funding for it would come from the Capitol Visitors’ Center.

Argument in favor

First responders deserve our utmost respect. By offering flags from the Capitol, the families of those who gave their lives to protect others will have a memento expressing the attention and respect of one of the most powerful bodies in the country.

Argument opposed

First responders deserve our utmost respect. There are thousands of things we can do to show them that they have it: increasing pay, or ensuring that their families are financially secure. Sending their families a flag when they die is well-intentioned, but not helpful.

Impact

The families of first responders who die in the line of duty, first responders who put themselves in danger, Congressional representatives and delegates, the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Cost of H.R. 723

A CBO estimate is unavailable. However, the bill authorizes from 2015-2020 "such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act," to be pulled from the annual funding given to the Capitol Visitor Center. That said, funding for this act could not exceed $30,000.

Additional Info

In Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Peter King (R-NY) has introduced this bill twice before, once in 2011 and once in 2013. It was stuck in committee limbo both times. Something this version has in common with it's predecessors — the bill has bipartisan support.

Of Note: Though Rep. King had introduced this bill previously, this time around it has taken on a deeper significance. In early May 2015, NYPD Officer, Brian Moore was shot to death while on duty in Queens. He lived with his father in North Massapequa with his father in King's home district.

The shooting came after a fraught showdown between the NYPD and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. In December of 2014, two NYPD officers, Rafael Ramos and Weijan Liu, were shot and killed in their patrol car in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. The shootings came shortly after a grand jury decided not to indict Daniel Pantaleo, a white NYPD officer who was filmed putting Eric Garner, a black man, in a chokehold — a tactic banned by the force, which killed Garner.

At a press conference after the grand jury’s decision, de Blasio said that he had to talk to his son about being cautious around police because his son is biracial. The police didn’t take too kindly to this. At the funerals for Ramos and Liu, some police turned their backs on de Blasio as he gave eulogies.

For his part, Rep. King has slammed the media for stirring up anti-cop sentiments.

Media:

• ABC
  
• NBC
  
• New York Post