The Pennsylvania House recently approved legislation introduced by state Rep. Barry Jozwiak (R-Berks) that would require Commonwealth agencies and the General Assembly to purchase only American and Pennsylvania flags that are manufactured in the United States.
“This is a commonsense proposal to boost manufacturing in our country,” Jozwiak said. “I encourage our colleagues in the Senate to act swiftly to adopt this bill.”
Jozwiak’s House Bill 743 would require the fabric, cloth or paper to be woven, dyed, printed or otherwise embedded into the final product in the United States in order to comply with the new requirement.
Commonwealth agencies and the General Assembly would be able to recover a payment to a vendor if the flags purchased failed to meet the standards set by Jozwiak’s legislation.
A person who willfully violates the new provision could be prohibited from receiving a government agency contract for up to five years.
Jozwiak’s bill also would require Commonwealth agencies and the General Assembly to give preference to American-made products during the procurement process when they are similarly priced and of similar value and usefulness.
“We should make sure state government buys American and Pennsylvania flags from companies right here in our own country,” Jozwiak said.
Jozwiak’s legislation now heads to the state Senate for consideration.
Residents can learn more about Jozwiak at www.RepJozwiak.com and can follow him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/RepJozwiak.
