House Bill 0009c2

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/CS/HB 9

        By the Committees on Judiciary, Education/K-12 and
    Representatives Harrington, Fasano, Feeney, Byrd and Detert





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to patriotic programs; creating

  3         s. 233.0655, F.S.; authorizing district school

  4         board rules to require patriotic programs;

  5         providing program requirements; requiring

  6         recitation of the pledge of allegiance;

  7         amending s. 256.11, F.S.; revising the penalty

  8         for willfully causing the flag to fail to be

  9         properly displayed; providing an effective

10         date.

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12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Section 233.0655, Florida Statutes, is

15  created to read:

16         233.0655  Patriotic programs; rules.--Each district

17  school board is authorized to adopt rules to require, in all

18  of the schools of the district, programs of a patriotic nature

19  to encourage greater respect for the government of the United

20  States and its national anthem and flag, subject always to

21  other existing pertinent laws of the United States or of the

22  state; provided, that when the national anthem is played,

23  students and all civilians shall stand at attention, men

24  removing the headdress; and provided, further, that the pledge

25  of allegiance to the flag, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of

26  the United States of America and to the republic for which it

27  stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

28  justice for all," shall be rendered by students standing with

29  the right hand over the heart. The pledge of allegiance to the

30  flag, as stated herein, shall be recited at the beginning of

31  the day in each elementary and secondary public school in the

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999             CS/CS/HB 9

    687-107-99






  1  state, provided that, upon written request by a parent or

  2  guardian, a student may be excused from reciting the pledge.

  3  When the pledge is given, civilians must show full respect to

  4  the flag by standing at attention, men removing the headdress,

  5  as provided by s. 7 of U.S. Pub. L. No. 623, approved June 22,

  6  1942, as amended by U.S. Pub. L. No. 829, approved December

  7  22, 1942.

  8         Section 2.  Subsection (2) of section 256.11, Florida

  9  Statutes, is amended to read:

10         256.11  Public auditoriums; display of the United

11  States flag.--

12         (2)  It is the duty of the person responsible for the

13  administration of such auditorium to provide a suitable flag

14  and cause it to be displayed in the manner provided in

15  subsection (1). If any such person willfully causes fails to

16  cause the flag to fail to be so displayed, except for the

17  cleaning, repair, or replacement of such flag, such person is

18  guilty of a noncriminal violation, punishable as provided in

19  s. 775.083.

20         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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