Senate passes bill to preserve Civil War flags

By John Sittler

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – The Senate unanimously passed a bill Thursday to save battle flags carried by Indiana units in several wars.

Senate Bill 323 – authored by Sen. Jim Merritt, R-Indianapolis – creates a fund to pay for the delicate preservation of hundreds of flags from the Civil War and Mexican-American War, among others.

The legislation doesn’t specify an amount to spend on the flags, although a separate proposal – SB 50 – earmarks $500,000 for the project.

Merritt said the flags are “a piece of history” that we need to preserve for future generations. “Some of those flags have bullet holes in them. Some of those flags actually have blood on them. Some of those flags may not be here for our grandchildren,” he said.

Merritt thanked Sen. Allen Paul, R-Richmond, who he said has been a big help working by his side through the entire process.

The bill now goes to the House where Merritt said the sponsor is yet to be determined.

John Sittler is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.