Relating to the display of flags on and in public buildings, grounds, and vehicles, and providing penalties

This bill states legislative intent that flags displayed on and in public buildings, grounds, or vehicles reflect civic values and national and state unity. The bill provides that a public entity is authorized to raise or display only the flags specified in the bill on and in a public building and on the associated grounds. The bill also prohibits a vehicle owned by a state or local governmental entity from displaying any other flag. The bill provides certain exceptions for public museums, schools, and universities. The bill provides that a public entity that violates the bill’s provisions is subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 for each day that the public entity is in violation. Civil penalties collected by the attorney general under the bill must be deposited in the veterans trust fund. The bill allows the state to withhold discretionary moneys, grants, or other financial resources from a public school, university, or local government that repeatedly violates the bill’s provisions or fails to comply with the bill’s provisions after notice. The bill provides that a public official’s, administrator’s, or custodian’s willful and repeated violation of the bill’s provisions may be grounds for disciplinary action, as determined by the person’s overseeing authority.