Miss. flag on legislative agenda
Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press
Updated 10:56 am, Saturday, January 2, 2016
... Mississippi is the last state with a flag that features the Confederate emblem. Some see the symbol is reminiscent of slavery and segregation, while others see it as a symbol of heritage. Several cities and counties and some universities have stopped flying the flag.
This session could mark the first time in 15 years for the flag to get serious debate. The Confederate emblem has been on the Mississippi flag since 1894, but the state Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the flag lacked official status since 1906 when state laws were updated and sections dealing with the flag were not carried forward. During the 2001 session, lawmakers didn't want to make a decision about the flag, so they sent the issue to a statewide election and voters chose to keep the emblem.
After Charleston, Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said his Christian faith caused him to see the flag as a divisive symbol that needs to be changed. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant says he respects the result of the 2001 election, but he has also said that if the flag design is revisited, it should be done in November 2016 because voter turnout is typically highest during presidential election years.
If legislators are going to change the flag themselves, they would need to muster a two-thirds majority to overcome a veto. That's unlikely to happen ...
http://www.ctpost.com/news/education/article/School-funding-Miss-flag-highways-on-6732436.php