Miss. House approves to suspend rules; would allow vote to change state flag if passed

The Mississippi House voted on Saturday to suspend rules, allowing for a vote to take place to change the current state flag.

The vote on House Concurrent 79 was approved by a vote of 85-34. The rule must also be passed by the State Senate.

HC 78 also includes the creation of a flag committee. The HCR says the new flag cannot contain the Confederate battle emblem and says the flag must include “In God We Trust.”

The goal is to get the new flag design on ballots in November. If the commission’s design doesn’t get majority approval in November, HCR 79 says the commission would design another new flag.

The “In God We Trust” would likely come as part of the official state seal, which was introduced by former governor Phil Bryant. Bryant has tweeted in support of one design that includes the seal prominently:

I was proud as Governor to add “In God We Trust” to the State Seal with @tatereeves and @PhilipGunnMS. It will make a great Mississippi State Flag. pic.twitter.com/HNbVRiOxoT
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) June 25, 2020

After the vote, the House adjourned until 2 p.m. Sunday.

The suspension of the rules is the first step to changing the state flag. If passed by the Senate with a two-thirds vote, the vote will then move toward removing the flag, which must also be passed by both the House and Senate. Governor Tate Reeves already said if the resolution on a new flag reaches his desk, he will pass it.