Bill Text - SB302 (2012)

Relative to the Honor and Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor fallen members of the armed forces.


Revision: April 2, 2012, midnight

SB 302 – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

01/25/12 0257s

2012 SESSION

12-2907

01/10

SENATE BILL 302

AN ACT relative to the Honor and Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor fallen members of the armed forces and relative to certain maintenance at the rotary in the town of Epsom.

SPONSORS: Sen. Barnes, Jr., Dist 17; Sen. Boutin, Dist 16; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. De Blois, Dist 18; Sen. Forrester, Dist 2; Sen. Forsythe, Dist 4; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Sen. Groen, Dist 6; Sen. Kelly, Dist 10; Sen. Lambert, Dist 13; Sen. Luther, Dist 12; Sen. Merrill, Dist 21; Sen. Morse, Dist 22; Sen. Odell, Dist 8; Sen. Rausch, Dist 19; Sen. Sanborn, Dist 7; Sen. Stiles, Dist 24; Rep. Knox, Carr 4

COMMITTEE: Public and Municipal Affairs

AMENDED ANALYSIS

This bill adopts the national Honor and Remember Flag as the official symbol of the state of New Hampshire to recognize and honor fallen members of the armed forces.

This bill also requires the department of transportation to properly maintain the flags and landscaping at the rotary in the town of Epsom.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

01/25/12 0257s

12-2907

01/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twelve

AN ACT relative to the Honor and Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor fallen members of the armed forces and relative to certain maintenance at the rotary in the town of Epsom.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Statement of Purpose. The general court finds that:

I. Since the Revolutionary War, more than 1,000,000 members of the United States Armed Forces have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their lives in the line of duty.

II. The contributions of those fallen members of the Armed Forces are deserving of national recognition.

III. Currently, there is no officially recognized symbol that solely acknowledges members of the Armed Forces who died in the line of duty.

2 New Sections; Honor and Remember Flag. Amend RSA 3 by inserting after section 3-b the following new sections:

3:3-c Official Adoption of Honor and Remember Flag. The Honor and Remember Flag created by Honor and Remember, Inc, is hereby adopted as this state’s emblem of the service and sacrifice of the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have given their lives in the line of duty.

3:3-d Display of Honor and Remember Flag. The Honor and Remember Flag shall be displayed above the state house in Concord immediately below the state flag on the following days:

I. Gold Star Mother’s Day, the first Sunday after Easter.

II. Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.

III. Independence Day, July 4.

3 Maintenance of Rotary. The department of transportation shall properly maintain the flag of the United States, the POW-MIA flag, and the landscaping at the rotary in the town of Epsom.

4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

12-2907

Amended 03/29/12

SB 302 FISCAL NOTE

AN ACT relative to the Honor and Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor fallen members of the armed forces and relative to certain maintenance at the rotary in the town of Epsom.

FISCAL IMPACT:

      The Department of Transportation states this bill, as amended by the Senate (Amendment #2012-0257s), will increase state highway fund expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2012 and each year thereafter. The Department of Administrative Services states this bill will increase state general fund expenditures by $50 in FY 2013. The New Hampshire Municipal Association states this bill may decrease local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2012 and each year thereafter. There is no fiscal impact on state, county, or local revenue, or county expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:

    The Department of Transportation states this bill requires it to maintain the flags and the landscaping at the rotary in the town of Epsom. The Department states it estimates the flag-tending duties would be handled by an existing highway patrol foreman paid overtime to make trips to raise or lower the flag when inclement whether made it necessary. The Department estimates these duties would be required on average 3 times per week, including every other weekend, and would entail approximately 176 hours of overtime each year at an overtime rate of $32.38 per hour, for a total annual cost in FY 2013 of $5,787. The Department also assumes the rotary landscaping would likely be handled by an existing assistant highway patrol foreman for 30 minutes per week and an existing highway maintainer for 1 hour per week. However, the Department states if the existing duties of these employees do not allow for the time to complete the additional duties called for in this bill, the Department may be forced to increase expenditures related to overtime or to the hiring of part-time staff. The Department states the 26 hours (30 minutes per week x 52 weeks per year) of an assistant highway patrol foreman’s time costs $505 per year ($19.41 per hour x 26 hours per year) and the 52 hours (1 hour per week x 52 weeks per year) of a highway maintainer’s time costs $824 per year ($15.84 per hour x 52 hours per year). The Department states this bill would also require an annual increase in state costs for equipment of $364 and for plants, mulch, flags, and other materials of $3,185.

    The Department of Administrative Services estimates the only cost associated with this bill would be related to the purchase of an Honor and Remember Flag for $50. The Department states the flag would be hung by existing state house security staff.

The New Hampshire Municipal Association states this bill may result in a decrease in expenditures for the town of Epsom related to landscaping at the rotary. The Association cannot estimate the amount of such a decrease.