In conjunction with Flag Day, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) reintroduced a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to protect the American flag from acts of physical desecration.
The proposed amendment has 21 original cosponsors.
“At a time when many issues divide us, the flag to which we pledge allegiance ought to be one thing that unites us,” Hatch said. “All 50 state legislatures have shown their support for a constitutional amendment to allow protection of the flag, and it’s time Congress voted to give them the chance to ratify a constitutional amendment to protect the flag.”
Language in the proposed legislation would restore to Congress the right to protect the flag, an authority the Supreme Court took away in the 1990 decision, United States v. Eichman.
Hatch’s amendment, if enacted, would give the American public an opportunity to overturn the verdict.
Hatch has offered similar amendments eight different times in previous Congresses.
The Constitution has been amended 17 times since the passage of the Bill of Rights. The most recent amendment, adopted in 1992, pertains to increasing or decreasing the salaries of members of Congress.
Hatch is a current member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is serving his seventh term in the Senate.