New State Laws Say American Flag Can’t be "Made in China"

By Anastacia Mott Austin

By the end of 2007, all U.S. flags sold in the state of Minnesota will have to be made in the United States.

In 2006, over 5.3 million dollars in American flags were imported by the U.S. from other countries, primarily China. This figure is consistent with other years, except for 2001, when almost $52 million in U.S. flag sales were imported after 9/11.

Minnesota Democratic state legislator Tom Rukavina sponsored the new law, and wants imports of the U.S. flag to stop. "The biggest honor that you can give the flag is that it be made by American workers in the United States of America," said Rukavina to reporters. "Nothing is more embarrassing to me than a plastic flag ‘made in China.’ This replica of freedom we so respect should be made in this country."

Similar laws are being moved through state legislatures in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Tennessee law already requires that all American flags made through state manufacturing contracts must be made in the United States, and starting this week Arizona schools were required to have domestically produced American flags in every classroom from junior high up through public university.

At the American Legion Post 65 in Rosemount, Minnesota, Air Force Veteran Bob Racette told the Star Tribune he agreed with the new law. "That’s our flag. It belongs here in the United States," said Racette to reporters. "It should be made in the United States."

While insisting that the American flag be made in the USA might feel patriotic, it may also violate international trade agreements with other countries. Current World Trade Organization policy states that products made in foreign countries cannot be treated "less favorably" than those made here. In order for the policy to be upheld, however, any foreign business which feels it is not being treated fairly would have to appeal to its own country’s official government to approach the U.S., an unlikely scenario.

Robert Litan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told reporters, "It’s symptomatic of an anti-foreign bias moving through the country right now. It would not surprise me if other states copied it. It’s hard to oppose politically."

The Minnesota law did not get unanimous support in the state legislature when it was discussed earlier this year. Republican state representative Dan Severson felt it was wrong to limit the flag’s production to the U.S. Said Severson to the press, "That flag should be made throughout the world because it is our message to the world that there is hope for freedom and justice."

With the Fourth of July holiday upon us, the issue is receiving added attention. The majority of U.S. flag sales occur around this holiday.

Sandy Van Leiu, the chairman of the FMAA, the Flag Manufacturers’ Association of America, feels that the quality of American flags can only be ensured if they are made within our own borders. The organization provides a certification for their flags, to confirm that they are made with U.S. materials and labor.

"That door is going to keep opening," said Van Leiu to reporters about foreign-imported flags. "It starts small, then it gets big. You’re just opening Pandora’s box."

Though there is not a specific punishment for those who defy the new law, any offense would be considered a misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.