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2017 SESSION

17104759D
HOUSE BILL NO. 1720
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety
on January 27, 2017)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Anderson)
A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-488.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to flag at half staff or mast; public safety personnel.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 18.2-488.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-488.1. Flag at half staff or mast for certain public safety personnel killed in the line of duty.

A. As used in this section, unless the context requires a different meaning:

"Emergency medical services provider" means the same as that term is defined in § 32.1-111.1 and any member of a volunteer emergency medical services agency.

"Firefighter" means the same as that term is defined in § 9.1-300, and any member of a volunteer fire department.

"Police officer" means any full-time or part-time employee of a police department or sheriff's office which is a part of or administered by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof and who is responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic, or highway laws of the Commonwealth.

"Service member" means a member of the United States armed forces, Virginia National Guard, or Virginia Defense Force.

B. Whenever a service member, police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical services provider who is a resident of Virginia is killed in the line of duty, all flags, state and local, flown at any building owned and operated by the Commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof shall be flown at half staff or mast for one day to honor and acknowledge respect for those who made the supreme sacrifice.

C. The Department of General Services shall develop procedures to effectuate the purposes of this section.