South Carolina governor given half-masting authority

When Rosa Parks died, President Bush ordered flags on Federal buildings lowered to half-mast on the day of her funeral. In Columbia, South Carolina, folks noticed that flags were not half-masted on State buildings. It was not that the governor intended to insult the memory of Mrs. Parks. The problem was that the South Carolina Code specified when the flag could be half-masted, and gave the governor no discretion to order it done at other times.

The legislature has passed a new law giving the governor much broader half-masting authority.