BANGOR — A bill introduced into the U.S. Senate calls for the American flags the federal government purchases to be made in America.

Sen. Susan Collins  and  Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, have introduced legislation they call the “All-American Flag Act” that would require the government to buy flags produced entirely with U.S.-made materials. The flags would also have to be manufactured in the U.S.

The government is required to buy flags by from at least 50 percent American-made materials under current law. Similar proposals to ensure all-American flags passed the Senate twice earlier this decade. Both of those efforts stalled in the House of Representatives.

Collins says the rule change would make sure “the symbol of our nation is preserved while supporting American jobs and manufacturers.”