New Jersey Assemblyman Ron Dancer is troubled by reports of California college students who, backed by professors, voted to remove the American flag from a campus lobby because they said it was not culturally inclusive. Dancer wants to make sure this does not happen in the Garden State without consequences.

American flag
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"We had our military men and women defend those who are now offended by the display of the American flag," Dancer (R-Cream Ridge) said. "Legislation I am putting forward says any public entity, if they receive public funds, they will be prohibited from banning the display of the American flag."

On March 3 at the University of California, Irvine, the student government association voted to remove the American flag. According to campusreform.org, hundreds of students across the country -- and several UC Irvine professors -- signed a letter showing solidarity with the students who wanted the flag taken away.

"We admire the courage of the resolution's supporters amid this environment of political immaturity and threat, and support them unequivocally," the letter said.

However, the vote was eventually overturned.

Dancer said he was appalled that anyone could consider the American flag to be culturally insensitive, or that it promotes racism.

"America is the melting pot," he said. "It doesn't matter what your background, what your race, what your color. That is America and the flag stands for that."

The assemblyman's bill bars any organization that accepts public funding from limiting the display of the flag on its premises. Any organization that does would risk the loss, reduction or suspension of funding.

"We want to make sure that no one receiving public funds can ban Old Glory," Dancer said.

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