The Illinois State Senate welcomed Memorial Day by doing some serious legislative work. The senate passed several bills, including one designed to honor slain Illinois law enforcement officers and U.S. military personnel.
According to the Peoria Journal Star, the bill mandates that the governor order flags to be flown at half-mast any time a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty, and when a state resident is killed by hostile fire while serving in Iraq.
The flags would be flown at half-staff two days prior to the person's funeral and on the day of the actual funeral.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that eight Illinois law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2006. Statistics compiled by the Washington Post cite that more than 130 military personnel from Illinois have been killed overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan.