Lawmakers pass resolution, Mississippi state flag expected to come down

Luke Ramseth Giacomo Bologna
Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Mississippi lawmakers on Saturday took steps toward changing the state flag and its Confederate battle emblem following weeks of mounting pressure. 

Legislation that lays the groundwork for a new flag moved through the House early in the afternoon with a vote of 84-35. Hours later it cleared the Senate, 36-14. Both chambers needed to pass House Resolution 79 to suspend legislative deadlines and file a bill to change the flag.

Debate on the bill itself is expected to occur Sunday. But Saturday's vote was the biggest hurdle, and it was widely expected legislation formally removing the flag and its Confederate imagery would soon become law. 

More:Here is how each lawmaker voted on the Mississippi state flag resolution

Lawmakers' current proposal would immediately take down the flag and set up a nine-member commission to design a new one. That design would include the words "In God We Trust" and no Confederate symbols, according to the proposed legislation. Voters would then get to approve or reject the commission's design in November. 

Sen. Sarita Simmons, D-Cleveland, left, hugs, Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins, of Pascagoula, center, and Jeremy England, of Vancleave, following the body passing a resolution that would allow lawmakers to change the state flag Saturday, June 27, 2020, at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Members of both the House and Senate are now expected to pass a bill that removes the current flag and establishes a path forward to getting a new one. Gov. Tate Reeves has already said he would sign whatever flag bill the Legislature decides on. The current flag has in the canton portion of the banner the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag, that has been the center of a long-simmering debate about its removal or replacement. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, who has publicly supported changing the flag for several years, said lawmakers did the right thing in passing the resolution.

“Change is hard," he said. "People are going to resist initially, but I think over time it’s going to be proven that this was the right decision. We’re poised to reach our full potential now.

"We try to overcome enough obstacles in Mississippi as it is," Gunn said. "This is an opportunity for us to find a flag that’s unifying for all Mississippians, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Live updates:Mississippi Legislature clears way for flag vote

Earlier in the day, Gov. Tate Reeves signaled he would sign a bill to change the flag once lawmakers approved it. He had long refused to wade into the state flag debate. Until this week, he repeatedly said the flag should only be decided by another referendum, similar to one held in 2001. But Saturday morning, Reeves said the issue had grown too divisive.

“It’s time to end it,” Reeves wrote on social media. “If (lawmakers) send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it.”

Legislators adopted Mississippi's state flag and its the Confederate battle emblem in 1894, nearly three decades after the end of the Civil War. Mississippians voted nearly two-to-one in 2001 to keep the current design.

Reeves said changing the state flag will not fix the divisiveness in Mississippi. Bringing the state together, he wrote, “will be harder than recovering from tornadoes, harder than historic floods, harder than agency corruption, or prison rights or the coming hurricane season — even harder than battling the Coronavirus.”

Changing the flag required the two-step process because normal legislative deadlines have passed. Saturday's rules suspension resolution required a two-thirds majority, which gives legislative leaders confidence they can easily pass the flag bill itself, which requires only a simple majority. Lawmakers hope to finish their business at the Capitol next week. 

Sen. Barbara Blackmon, a Black Democrat from Canton, recalled major historical moments she had witnessed over the years, including former President Barack Obama's election. But she said she didn't think the flag would come down during her lifetime. Now, she wanted to seize the moment.

"The time has come to take this flag down, because it is right," she told her colleagues.  

In the Senate, changing the state flag early Saturday still appeared to be up in the air. Legislative leaders for days had worked to secure enough votes for a two-thirds majority as pressure mounted from religious leaders, sports figures, statewide elected officials and others.

Despite an emotional speech Friday by Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, in support of changing the flag, Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, had said that no votes changed overnight and supporters of changing the flag still did not have enough votes for the two-thirds threshold. Others said there were enough, but it would be tight. 

More:'It's going to tear us apart': Tensions flare at Capitol as lawmakers push off flag vote

McDaniel made a final appeal to his colleagues to reject the resolution Saturday. He linked the Mississippi state flag to the American flag, saying some view the American flag as a symbol of oppression. He warned that one day people will want to take down the American flag.

Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, urges his colleagues to vote against a resolution that would allow lawmakers to change the state flag Saturday, June 27, 2020 at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. However, the Mississippi Senate passed it. Members of both the House and Senate are now expected to pass a bill that removes the current flag and establishes a path forward to getting a new one. Gov. Tate Reeves has already said he would sign whatever flag bill the Legislature decides on. The current flag has in the canton portion of the banner the design of the Civil War-era Confederate battle flag, that has been the center of a long-simmering debate about its removal or replacement. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

McDaniel said all he wants is for the people of Mississippi to decide whether to retire the current flag themselves, via referendum. “I don’t see how that makes me a racist," McDaniel said. "I don’t see how that makes me a terrible human being.”

Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, urged senators to vote their convictions: "Pray first, aim high and stay focused," he said repeatedly.

In the House, several representatives made passionate speeches, both supporting and opposing the flag resolution. 

“Many opponents of changing the state flag say we should stand up to what is right, that we shouldn’t cave to outside pressure … even if it’s bad for business," said House Pro Tem Jason White, R-West, speaking in support of the resolution. "I agree with those people... I’m here today because it is simply the right thing to do.”

Rep. Chris Brown, R-Nettleton, said he does not advocate for the current flag, but wants Mississippians to vote on whether to keep it. “If we put the current flag on the ballot with another good design, the people of Mississippi will change it," Brown said. "I believe that. Let’s not steal their joy.”

More:Pro-flag Sen. Chris McDaniel says lawmakers are 'holding the line' on flag vote

The votes on changing the flag capped days of uncertainty over whether and when legislators would tackle the issue. Even earlier Saturday, House Rules Chairman Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn, had told reporters he still did not have the "green light" from leadership to advance the flag resolution. He said legislative leaders were still counting votes to ensure they could clear the two-thirds threshold.

That all changed hours later, as the resolution moved swiftly through both chambers. Mississippians arrived at the Capitol early Saturday to watch the proceedings, with some packing into galleries above each chamber wearing masks and leaving seats empty due to the coronavirus. They patiently waited for the main event as lawmakers debated numerous appropriation bills. 

At least one heated debate between observers broke out in the hallway over the flag. Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley wandered the Capitol halls, soaking in the moment. "Man, this is such a historic day," said an excited Presley, who voted to keep the flag in 2001, but later reversed course and has became a leading voice for change. Some observers and lawmakers wore stickers that said: "It's time." 

Don Hartness, of Ellisville, continues his vigil of circling the Mississippi State Capitol outside, as legislators continue the debate over the state flag inside Saturday, June 27, 2020. Hartness arrived at about 6 a.m. and began walking at 7. By about 10 a.m. he'd made a dozen loops.

Outside, Don Hartness walked laps around the Capitol for hours on end, an American flag and Mississippi flag hoisted over his shoulder. Wearing American flags on his shirt and hat, he said he was protesting the removal of the flag. He flies one at his home in Jones County. 

"I'm military. I had a Confederate family member die at the siege of Vicksburg," said the 59-year-old U.S. Army veteran. "This is a remembrance of him, is how I look at it. It means something to me."

Asked about increasing pressure from college athletics and business groups in recent days, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Saturday’s vote was simply the right call.

“There are economic issues, there are issues involving football and whatever, but this vote came from the heart,” Hosemann said. “That makes it so much more important and so much more lasting. This one’ll last.”

Hosemann said the House and Senate are expected to take up the actual flag bill on Sunday.

Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL.