Washington, Jun 29 (UNI) The House of southern US state Mississippi on Monday passed a bill to remove a Confederate battle emblem from its state flag, local media reported.
A commission would design a new flag that cannot include the Confederate symbol broadly condemned as racist, said the reports, the new design would go before voters in November for approval.
According to the Mississippi State Watch legislative information service, the bill was passed with a 37-14 vote. Earlier on Sunday, it was passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives with a 91-23 vote.
The bill now will be sent to the state Senate and Republican Governor Tate Reeves who has already said he will sign it if passed.
"The legislature has been deadlocked for days as it considers a new state flag. The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it. If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it", Reeves had tweeted on Saturday.
The move came in the wake of weeks of anti-racism protests and civil unrest following the death of black man George Floyd in police custody on May 25, renewing attention on symbols of the Confederacy across the country.
Mississippi has remained the only US state featuring the Confederate emblem on its flag. Several state governors have approved the removal of Confederate monuments amid the George Floyd protests.
Pertinent to mention here that African American people make up 38 percent of the Mississippi population.
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