Stars & Stripes in Classrooms

(Tallahassee, Florida) State Sen. Mike Fasano discovered that classrooms in the state did not have American flags so he initiated legislation to correct the condition.

"I was quite shocked that there were schools funded by public dollars that did not have a United States flag in their classrooms," said Fasano, a Republican and a bill sponsor.

The bill, which must be signed by the governor to become law, requires schools to solicit donations from businesses or nonprofit groups before asking for state money to buy the flags.

The bill (HB 1757) passed the Senate Thursday, and the House earlier in the week. Both chambers voted unanimously.

The legislation, called the Carey Baker Freedom Flag Act, targets August 2005 for placement of all flags.

I think this is great! The bill weathered the legislative process swimmingly and, with Gov. Bush's signature, flags will be in every classroom. It would be even better if the Ten Commandments could also be placed in the classroom.