Senate approves state flag changes, designates ceremonial flag

The Utah Senate on Jan. 23 advanced Senate Bill 31, a measure that would rename the current seal-bearing banner as the “ceremonial state flag” and set a separate beehive design as the everyday state flag in statute.

Senator McKay, sponsor of SB 31, gave a historical presentation on the state flag and said the bill clarifies display rules and seeks to keep the seal-bearing flag available for formal settings. McKay told the Senate that the bill “change[s] the name of this flag from the state flag to the ceremonial state flag” and that the ceremonial flag would “be displayed on state property at the discretion of the governor upon any occasion deemed fitting and appropriate.”

Members asked whether the bill creates a uniform policy for which flag should be displayed at external memorials and events. McKay said the code will show the beehive flag as the state flag and that organizations will likely choose that version in practice, but that the bill does not prohibit or compel a particular choice.

At one point in the presentation McKay described details of the historic flag and noted an unexpected design detail: “there are bumblebees on the flag,” a remark that prompted discussion about historical imagery and display legibility.

A roll-call vote followed the presentation. The floor record shows the motion to read SB 31 for a third time with vote tallies recorded in the transcript; the clerk announced the outcome and the bill was advanced on the calendar for further action.

What happens next: SB 31 will continue through third-reading procedures and any scheduled amendments; the sponsor indicated an intent to add language clarifying a cross-reference to display rules and emphasized retention of the ceremonial flag’s role.

Votes noted in transcript: the clerk read a recorded tally for the motion to read SB 31 a third time (transcript shows 18 yea, 9 no, 2 absent as recorded on the floor).