Juneteenth is a holiday that the state now officially recognizes. But a bill from the legislative session earlier this year threatened the flag’s presence at the Salt Lake City & County Building.

Tuesday marked one year since the expiration of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, a statute that helped thousands who became sick from nuclear weapons testing during the 1950s and years after.

While Salt Lake City officials gathered Tuesday for a celebration to raise the city’s new Juneteenth flag over City Hall, ...