Senate Panel Approves Flag Amendment
Congress and the states would have the authority to prohibit desecration of the flag under a constitutional amendment approved, 12 to 6, by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
The proposal goes to the full Senate, where it will need a two-thirds majority to pass.
The House already has completed action on the measure.
If both houses of Congress give final approval, three-quarters of the states would have to ratify the amendment within seven years to add the language to the Constitution.
Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Howell Heflin of Alabama joined 10 Republicans in supporting the proposal. Six Democrats opposed the amendment.
The measure would permit Congress and the states to enact laws to prohibit flag desecration.
The bill is a reaction to recent Supreme Court rulings that threw out such laws, deeming them violations of constitutional protections of free speech.
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