SALT LAKE CITY — The proposed new state flag got a green light Tuesday from the Utah House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee.

Now it’s up to the full Utah House to weigh in on the issue, which has generated plenty of reaction from both supporters and foes.

The House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee held a hearing on the flag legislation, Senate Bill 31, on Tuesday, voting 7-2 to recommend passage of an amended version of the measure. Per the latest version of the bill, the existing flag wouldn’t go away — it would become the “historical state flag” and could still be flown.

“All citizens maintain the right to use the historic state flag upon any occasion deemed fitting and appropriate,” the legislation reads. Moreover, the existing flag would be displayed at the Capitol Hill complex during the legislative session each year and would be flown on state property during holidays “as deemed appropriate by the governor.”

Sen. Daniel McCay is the sponsor of S.B. 31 and he said he latched onto the idea of developing a new Utah flag after seeing in his travels how popular and ubiquitous state flags are in other states, like Texas and Colorado. He searched online for garb with the existing Utah flag, but was underwhelmed with the offerings, coming to the realization that “we might have a branding problem in the state of Utah.”

The proposed new flag is a tricolor banner — blue on top, white in the middle, red on the bottom — with a beehive in the middle. It also features a mountain landscape and a five-point star.

The current state flag is largely blue with a shield in the middle featuring a beehive image. An eagle is atop the shield with outstretched wings and two U.S. flags are featured on either side of the shield.

Attesting to the public interest in the matter, McCay said S.B. 31 is the third-most viewed piece of legislation on the legislative website. The notion of creating a new flag, though, has generated a mixed response.

Chad Saunders of Stansbury Park, one of several to testify at Tuesday’s committee hearing, doesn’t sense support among the public, never mind the aesthetics of the new proposed flag.

“I think there’s been a lot of work put in. It’s sincere. But the people are overwhelmingly asking you to vote no on this. They are. So let’s stop it,” he said. If anything, he suggested putting the question of creating a new flag to the public.

Ron Fox, a former lobbyist, favors the new flag and he noted all the work put into coming up with the design. A special flag commission was created and thousands of people were involved in coming up with proposal, he said.

The Utah Senate voted 18-10 for S.B. 31 on Jan. 30.

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