VA State Order · Half-Staff
Flags at Half-Staff for Janet D. Howell
October 28, 2026
Janet D. Howell was a trailblazing Virginia State Senator who served more than three decades in the Senate. She was the first woman to serve on and chair the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. She championed public education, children and families, mental health services, and survivors of domestic violence. She died on August 2, 2026, at the age of 82. The Governor of Virginia ordered flags lowered in her memory and respect.
Flag protocol
Flags of the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia are to be flown at half-staff on all state and local buildings and grounds in Virginia on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from sunrise to sunset.