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2018 SESSION

18104454D
SENATE BILL NO. 754
Offered January 10, 2018
Prefiled January 10, 2018
A BILL to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to emblems of the Commonwealth; Freedom Flag.
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Patrons-- Sturtevant; Delegate: Bagby
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Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology
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Whereas, on September 11, 2001, terrorists launched an inexcusable attack on the United States that included hijacking planes that crashed in Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania, causing great destruction and horrific human suffering; and

Whereas, September 11, 2001, has joined December 7, 1941, and November 22, 1963, among the most significant and infamous dates in recent American history; and

Whereas, to commemorate and memorialize the victims, heroes, and tragic events of September 11, 2001, a Virginian has created a moving and appropriate symbol; and

Whereas, Richard Nicholas Melito, a Virginia resident, created the Freedom Flag, hand sewn by a Virginia resident and flagmaker on October 25, 2001, and unveiled on December 16, 2001; and

Whereas, the Virginia Historical Society adopted the Freedom Flag on November 12, 2001, for inclusion in a fall 2002 memorial exhibit on the September 11 attack on the Pentagon; and

Whereas, the Governor of Virginia, Mark R. Warner, issued a certificate of recognition in 2003, officially recognizing Richard Nicholas Melito's creation of the Freedom Flag and, further, proclaimed the Freedom Flag as the Commonwealth of Virginia's official symbol of September 11, 2001; and

Whereas, the Freedom Flag has been widely embraced by educators, first responders, and citizens in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond, being raised on September 11 each year in observance of Patriot Day and being used as a symbol teaching tool for K through 12 students; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 1-510. Official emblems and designations.

The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:

Artisan Center -- "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.

Bat -- Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).

Beverage -- Milk.

Bird -- Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

Blue Ridge Folklore State Center -- Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.

Boat -- "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."

Cabin Capital of Virginia -- Page County.

Coal Miners' Memorial -- The Richlands Coal Miners' Memorial located in Tazewell County.

Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth -- Patrick County.

Covered Bridge Festival -- Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.

Dog -- American Foxhound.

Fish (Freshwater) -- Brook Trout.

Fish (Saltwater) -- Striped Bass.

Flag of Remembrance of September 11, 2001 -- Freedom Flag, designed by a Virginian as the flag of remembrance of September 11, 2001, and as an educational tool to remind and teach future generations of Americans of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the heroism demonstrated in its aftermath.

Fleet -- Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.

Flower -- American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

Folk dance -- Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.

Fossil -- Chesapecten jeffersonius.

Gold mining interpretive center -- Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.

Insect -- Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne).

Maple Festival -- The Highland County Maple Festival.

Motor sports museum -- "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.

Outdoor drama -- "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.

Outdoor drama, historical -- "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.

Rock -- Nelsonite.

Shakespeare festival -- The Virginia Shakespeare Festival held in the City of Williamsburg.

Shell -- Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).

Snake -- Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis).

Song emeritus -- "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.

Song (Popular) -- "Sweet Virginia Breeze," by Robbin Thompson and Steve Bassett.

Song (Traditional) -- "Our Great Virginia," lyrics by Mike Greenly and arranged by Jim Papoulis with music from the original American folk song "Oh Shenandoah."

Spirit -- George Washington's rye whiskey produced at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

Sports hall of fame -- "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.

Television series -- "Song of the Mountains."

Tree -- American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

War memorial museum -- "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.