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United States Capitol flag program began in 1937 as a way for Members of
Congress to acknowledge important civic contributions of individuals who
served their communities in a manner deserving special recognition. The
program began when official flags that had flown over the east and west
central fronts of the Capitol were presented to members, upon request,
for presentation to constituents. Since the official flags were flown continuously
and removed from service only when they were no longer suitable for display,
the availability of used flags for distribution to members was naturally
quite limited. However, public interest in having a flag that had flown
over the Capitol grew, and the focus of the program gradually expanded
to encompass the commemoration of national holidays, special events (such
as the statehood of Alaska and Hawaii), and the work of groups such as
schools and civic Organizations.
In
response to the large number of requests, the Architect of the Capitol
initiated a new program in the mid- 1950s of flying United States flags
at members' request for presentation to their constituents, either to mark
an important event or personal achievement or simply for the honor and
privilege of obtaining a flag that had flown over the Capitol. To accommodate
the growing demand for flags, auxiliary flagpoles were erected near the
base of the dome on the west side of the Capitol's roof. Currently, flags
are flown briefly from these special flagpoles and are returned to the
member requesting them along with certificates documenting the date each
flag was flown over the Capitol and the person or group to whom it is being
presented.
The
growth of the flag program has indeed been impressive. In 1937 there were
six requests for flags from members of Congress; in 1995 there were over
134,000. The single-year record was set in 1991, when 154,224 flags were
flown; the single-day record was set on July 4,1976, with the flying of
10,471 flags.
The
Architect of the Capitol is not responsible for purchasing flags for this
program. Flags are purchased in accordance with competitive bidding procedures
by the House Office Supply Service and Senate Stationary Room to take advantage
of quantity discounts as a result of large volume purchases. The government
does not provide flags free of charge; instead, flags are purchased with
funds provided by the individual requesters, at prices which recover the
government's expense of procuring the flags. In addition, those requesting
a flag to be flown over the Capitol also pay the costs of this service,
currently $4.05
per flag.
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