Are Texas flags half-staff Monday? What to know about Texas flag status

Yahoo

28-04-2025

Flags across Texas and the United States were lowered to half-staff last week in honor of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 on April 21.
As of early Monday, the governor's office still listed the flag status at half-staff for Pope Francis. However, the original notice stated that flags should be returned to full-staff at sunset on the day of his interment, which took place Saturday.
It is unclear whether the website has not yet been updated or if the half-staff order remains in effect in connection with the deaths of two Texas officers last week.
Here's what we know.
U.S. flags have returned to full-staff following the death of Pope Francis.
Although Pope Francis — born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina — was not from the United States, it is common practice to lower flags in honor of prominent foreign dignitaries.
As the 266th pope, he was the first pontiff from the Americas and the first non-European pope in more than a millennium.
Flags should now be flying at full-staff following his burial, according to flag code.
The governor's office has not yet mandated a flag change for the two Texas officers who died last week in separate incidents.
Dawson County Deputy Jessie Perez died in the line of duty on April 22 when debris from a commercial vehicle struck him during a traffic stop in Lamesa. Perez had served with the Dawson County Sheriff's Office for eight months.
A second officer, Tyler Police Department officer Sam Lively, died in a motorcycle crash on Friday afternoon. Lively was struck by a vehicle while riding on Troup Highway in Tyler. He had recently graduated from the police academy and completed his field training.
While the Texas flag code does not specifically mandate lowering flags for fallen officers, it is customary for the governor to issue such orders when law enforcement officers die in the line of duty. These orders typically apply in the officer's home region but sometimes extend statewide, or specifically to law enforcement facilities.
Flags are generally lowered until sunset on the day of interment.
There are specific holidays and events when flags are flown at half-staff in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website. That includes:
Memorial Day, when the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.
Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.
Patriot Day.
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
National Firefighters Memorial Day.
President Dwight Eisenhower also issued a proclamation on the proper times for flying the flag at half-staff when government officials die. That includes:
30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president.
10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
From the date of death until interment for an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
The date of death and the following day of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials.
From the date of death until interment for the governor of a state, territory or possession.
The president or governor may also order that the flag be flown at half-staff to commemorate the death of other officials, former officials or foreign dignitaries, such as the death of Pope Francis.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Are flags at half-staff today? See Texas, US flag status