Title: Honoring Hometown Heroes Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Honoring Hometown Heroes Act
This bill authorizes the governor of a state, territory, or possession of the United States or the Mayor of the District of Columbia to proclaim that the U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (public safety officer) working in such jurisdiction who dies while serving in the line of duty.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1108 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1108

To amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the 
 flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in 
                           the line of duty.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 11, 2017

 Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Moran, Mr. 
  Udall, Mr. Carper, and Mr. Gardner) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the 
 flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in 
                           the line of duty.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Honoring Hometown Heroes Act''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING THE FLAG TO BE FLOWN AT HALF-STAFF IN THE EVENT OF 
              THE DEATH OF A FIRST RESPONDER SERVING IN THE LINE OF 
              DUTY.

    (a) Amendment.--The sixth sentence of section 7(m) of title 4, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' after ``possession of the United 
        States'' and inserting a comma;
            (2) by inserting ``or the death of a first responder 
        working in any State, territory, or possession who dies while 
        serving in the line of duty,'' after ``while serving on active 
        duty,'';
            (3) by striking ``and'' after ``former officials of the 
        District of Columbia'' and inserting a comma; and
            (4) by inserting before the period the following: ``, and 
        first responders working in the District of Columbia''.
    (b) First Responder Defined.--Section 7(m) of title 4, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``, United States Code; 
        and'' and inserting a semicolon;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) the term `first responder' means a `public safety 
        officer' as defined in section 1204 of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796b).''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall apply 
with respect to deaths of first responders occurring on or after the 
date of enactment of this Act.
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