Good Monday morning everyone! Today will be hot with temperatures in the low-to-mid 90’s and heat index values in the triple digits! Most will stay dry, but isolated afternoon storms are possible. Tonight, will be mostly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers an thunderstorms, mainly after midnight with a low around 74…Stay cool, hydrated!
Marshall Ramsey: Going, Going, Gone
The post Marshall Ramsey: Going, Going, Gone appeared first on Mississippi Today.
‘Historic moment’: Lawmakers clear difficult hurdle to consider bill that would remove the Mississippi state flag
The House and Senate are expected to act quickly this weekend to remove the Mississippi state flag, the last in the nation containing the Confederate battle emblem, after clearing the procedural path on Saturday.
The bill to remove the current flag and begin the process of adopting a new one will require only simple majorities in both chambers to pass. Procedural votes on Saturday required a more difficult two-thirds majority in both chambers to pass.
“I think it was a historic moment in our state and it was the right thing to do,” said House Speaker Philip Gunn, who in the summer of 2015 surprised his Republican House majority caucus when he announced his support for changing the flag.
“The bottom line is the image of our state hangs in the balance,” Gunn said. “We talk about the business impact, the economic impact. All those things are real, but the bottom line is this is just the right thing to do.”
A couple hours after the historic 85-35 House vote to suspend the rules in the House on Saturday, the Senate followed suit, passing the resolution 36-14. Leaders say the Legislature will begin the next step on Sunday.
“You’ll see us come back tomorrow and we’ll start the process of adopting the actual bill itself,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. “We have many steps to take yet. But the first step in that journey was taken today.”
The resolution states a commission would be created to redesign the state flag. The commission would recommend a new design by Sept. 14, and voters would approve or reject that design on Nov. 3.
The design “would not include the Confederate battle flag but shall include the words ‘In God We Trust’,” the resolution stated. Should voters reject that design, the commission would present a new option during the 2021 legislative session, according to the resolution.
Now that the path has been cleared to consider a bill, the exact details of it are subject to change during the legislative process. At any point, the bill could be amended to change the process of replacing the flag or even forcing a vote on whether to keep the current flag.
But based on Saturday’s vote on the rules suspension resolution, it appears House and Senate leaders have the votes to ensure the demise of the current flag that has been flying since 1894.
The House passed the resolution on Saturday that would suspend the chamber’s rules so that lawmakers can consider the bill to remove and change the flag. Immediately afterwards, it went to the floor for a vote and passed 85-35. All Democrats and both independents voted for the change, and 38 Republicans voted for the proposal compared to the 35 no votes in the caucus.
“The eyes of the state, the nation and indeed the world are on us and what we do today,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Jason White, R-West, who presented the resolution to the floor. “Whether we like it or not the Confederate emblem on our state flag is viewed by many as a symbol of hate. There is no getting around that fact.”
Before the resolution went to a vote on the House floor, the discussion was not contentious — members listened attentively and some even recorded on their phones. Dozens of Mississippians who had tried but failed to sit in the House gallery to watch the historic vote sat in the Capitol hallways watching live streams on their phones. When the final House vote occurred, cheers and applause echoed throughout the building.
Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, spoke about how he was on the flag commission for the 2001 referendum, and how that turned out “not as an exploration of ideas, but an expression of hurt and hatred and divisiveness and racial discord.”
“Some of you when you come in here don’t notice that flag up in the corner,” Blackmon said. “There’s some of us who notice it every time we walk in here and it is not a good feeling … It ought to be something that fills us with a sense of pride, so we know it’s about us, not just some of us.”
The Senate passed the same resolution a couple hours later through its Rules committee and later on the Senate floor.
All 16 Senate Democrats voted for the resolution to change the banner. Of the 36 Senate Republicans, 20 voted for the resolution while 14 voted no and two did not vote.
Sen. Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, who explained the resolution on the floor one day after his father’s funeral, said the state was at a crossroads and that he understood how many believed the flag represented the state’s heritage.
But, he said, “I believe for the future of this state the best thing we can do is change this flag.”
In days leading up to the vote, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, assured reporters and his thousands of social media followers that he’d secured enough Senate votes to kill the resolution. McDaniel spoke for several minutes against the resolution from the Senate floor, shortly before most of those senators he thought he’d won over voted to pass it.
“People here will paint me as a terrible human being,” McDaniel said. “The only thing I’m asking for is the right of the people to decide this issue for themselves. I don’t see how that makes me a racist.”
Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, a veteran of the Civil Rights movement who’s served in the Legislature for nearly three decades, was emotional as he approached a group of fellow lawmakers at the well of the Senate after Saturday’s vote.
“I never thought I would see this,” Jordan said. “It’s different than it was in 2001.”
Sen. Barbara Blackmon, D-Canton, and Sen. Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson, spoke in favor of the resolution from the floor. Blackmon likened Saturday’s vote to historic moments great and terrible, including President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
“I never thought I would see this flag come down in my lifetime,” Blackmon said.
The vote on the controversial issue at this late date in the session is notable. Garnering a two-thirds vote to suspend rules for any reason is difficult, but particularly on the long-contentious state flag issue.
For years, supporters of changing the flag have not been able to garner the simple majority needed to change the controversial banner through the normal legislative process. But the violent death of George Floyd, an African American man, in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests that reached Mississippi and shined new light on the state flag that many view as racist.
And in recent weeks, immense pressure mounted from religious, business, civic, university, sports and other leaders to remove the Confederate emblem from the flag. A growing list of businesses, cities, counties and other groups have either stopped flying the flag or asked leaders to change it. Religious leaders have spoken out, saying changing the flag is a “moral issue.” The NCAA, SEC, and Conference USA this month took action to ban post-season play in the state until the flag is changed.
Pointing to the state flag in the ornate House chamber, Rep. Blackmon guessed many white members did not even notice it when they walked into the chamber.
“But there are some of us who notice it every time we walk in here,” Rep. Blackmon said. “It is not a good feeling.”
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House and Senate clear the path to remove Mississippi state flag
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
The Mississippi state flag flies in Florence, Miss., on Thursday, June 25, 2020.
The House of Representatives on Saturday began the legislative process to remove the Mississippi state flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem.
Later in the afternoon, the Senate Rules committee passed the resolution. It awaits approval before the entire Senate chamber. A Senate vote is expected Saturday afternoon.
House vote on HCR 79
The House passed the resolution that would suspend the chamber’s rules so that lawmakers can consider a bill that would remove and change the flag. Immediately afterwards, it went to the floor for a vote and passed 85-35. All Democrats and both independents voted for the change, and 38 Republicans voted for the proposal compared to the 35 no votes in the caucus.
“The eyes of the state, the nation and indeed the world are on us and what we do today,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Jason White, R-West, who presented the resolution to the floor. “Whether we like it or not the Confederate emblem on our state flag is viewed by many as a symbol of hate. There is no getting around that fact.”
The resolution states a commission would be created to redesign the state flag. The commission would recommend a new design by Sept. 14 and voters would vote on it a special election on Nov. 3.
“I think it was a historic moment in our state and it was the right thing to do,” said House Speaker Philip Gunn, who in the summer of 2015 surprised his Republican House majority caucus when he announced his support for changing the flag.
“The bottom line is the image of our state hangs in the balance,” Gunn said. “We talk about the business impact, the economic impact. All those things are real, but the bottom line is this is just the right thing to do.”
The design “would not include the Confederate battle flag but shall include the words “In God We Trust.”” Should voters reject that design, the commission would present a new option during the 2021 legislative session, according to the resolution.
“We cannot carry the banner for freedom in one hand and the banner of hate in another,” White said. “It does not work that way.”
Later in the afternoon, the Senate Rules committee passed the resolution. It will now head to the Senate floor, where it requires a two-thirds approval (35 of 52 Senate members) to pass.
In the House, only one lawmaker — Rep. Jeffrey Guice, R-Ocean Springs — attempted to add an amendment to the resolution to take the issue to the ballot for a statewide referendum rather than the Legislature taking action to remove the flag.
“If people don’t get a chance to vote on this we will see (citizen-sponsored) referendum after referendum,” Guice said.
The amendment failed on a loud voice vote.
Gil Ford Photography
Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton
Before the resolution went to a vote the discussion was not contentious — members listened attentively and some even recorded on their phones. Rep. Ed Blackmon, D-Canton, spoke about how he was on the flag commission for the 2001 referendum, and how that turned out, “not as an exploration of ideas, but an expression of hurt and hatred and divisiveness and racial discord.”
“Some of you when you come in here don’t notice that flag up in the corner,” Blackmon said. “There’s some of us who notice it every time we walk in here and it is not a good feeling … It ought to be something that fills us with a sense of pride, so we know it’s about us, not just some of us.”
Prior to the vote, sources close to House leadership said if the rules suspension passes, they will file and pass a bill that would immediately remove the state flag.
The resolution required a two-thirds majority (82 out of 122 members) of the House. It was passed with immediate release, meaning it could move to the Senate committee and then the Senate chamber, where it also requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate (35 out of 52 members).
If both the House and Senate approve the suspension resolution, lawmakers can take up an actual bill that would remove or replace the state flag. Those considerations would require just a simple majority in both chambers to pass (62 of 122 House members, 27 of 52 Senate members).
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Gov. Tate Reeves: If Legislature passes bill to change state flag, ‘I will sign it’
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
The Mississippi state flag flies in downtown Jackson on Thursday, June 25, 2020.
Gov. Tate Reeves, who has been opposed to the Legislature changing the flag without a popular vote in a referendum, declared on social media on Saturday morning: “If they send me a bill this weekend, I will sign it.”
Reeves made the comment as lawmakers arrived at the Capitol Saturday morning, when lawmakers have been planning to begin the legislative process to address the flag on Saturday.
“The argument over the 1894 flag has become as divisive as the flag itself and it’s time to end it,” Reeves said. He said uniting the state after the flag debate will be difficult and vowed to “work night and day to do it.”
“It will be harder than recovering from tornadoes, harder than historic floods, harder than agency corruption, or prison riots are the coming hurricane season — even harder than battling the coronavirus,” Reeves said in his statement.
The legislative process to change the flag, which could begin at any point at leaders’ discretion, is expected to begin on Saturday in the House. Before lawmakers can change the flag, they must first pass a rules suspension resolution.
The resolution requires a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate (82 out of 122 House members, 35 out of 52 Senate members) to pass.
If both the House and Senate approve the suspension resolution, they can take up the actual bill that would remove or replace the state flag. Those considerations would require just a simple majority in both chambers to pass (62 of 122 House members, 27 of 52 Senate members).
The House Rules committee met Saturday morning with the expectation from many that members would take up legislation to suspend the rules. But that did not happen Saturday morning.
“I don’t have the green light,” Turner told reporters after the meeting adjourned. When asked whether his committee would take up the issue on Saturday, Turner said: “I don’t know.”
As of Saturday morning, there is still no consensus between House and Senate leadership over how, exactly, they will press forward with a bill to remove the flag. Many, including former Gov. Phil Bryant and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, have expressed support for a flag displaying the state seal, which includes the phrase “In God We Trust.” The influential Mississippi Economic Council, the state’s chamber of commerce, appeared to back that design with its release of a poll this week.
Legislative leaders have also discussed removing the current flag this session and forming a commission to develop multiple replacement designs to be placed on a ballot for a vote.
Several Republican lawmakers who had been on the fence or against the Legislature changing the flag had “road to Damascus” moments in the days and hours leading up to Saturday’s voting.
Sen. Joel Carter, R-Gulfport, on social media said: “I’ve personally struggled with the words to say about the State Flag. The reason is because I’ve seen over the last couple of days, the internal struggles legislators face with this landmark vote. I’ve also had conversations with Mississippians on both sides of the argument.
“I was elected to be a leader, not a follower … It’s past time to retire the current state flag … Let’s find a way to make this happen and move forward together.”
Rep. Jody Steverson, R-Ripley, posted: “After serious thought and consideration, I have made the decision to vote in favor of retiring the state flag. Our State faces serious economic impact if we continue flying our current flag, a flag that doesn’t unite all the people of Mississippi but divides us.
“Several options have been discussed by the leaders of our State, but the implications of not removing the current flag could not wait until a referendum could be placed on the ballot.”
Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, posted: “Thank you for your continued prayers and if you disagree with me, I hope you can at least respect me in my decisions. It’s time we change our flag in Mississippi.”
Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, in a 2017 social media post said that those who support the removal of Confederate monuments should be “lynched.” In recent weeks, he declined to comment on the flag issue.
But on Thursday, Oliver issued a statement that said: “I am choosing to attempt to unite our state and ask each of you to join me in supporting a flag that creates unity — now is the time.” Oliver’s statement said the flag issue is growing “more divisive by the day” and “History will record the position I chose.”
But other lawmakers have remained steadfast in opposition to the Legislature changing the flag without a popular vote in referendum.
“The people deserve a vote,” Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, who is helping lead opposition to the vote in the Senate said. “People matter more than politicians.”
In the House on Saturday, opponents to the Legislature changing the flag were gearing up to offer numerous amendments to any flag change bill, with the strategy that forcing vote after vote on the issue might make some lawmakers lukewarm on change peel away.
Protesters both for and against changing the flag were outside and in the Capitol on Saturday morning as lawmakers arrived.
A growing list of businesses, cities, counties and other groups have either stopped flying the flag or asked leaders to change it. Religious leaders have spoken out, saying changing the flag is a “moral issue.” The NCAA, SEC, and Conference USA this month took action to ban post-season play in the state until the flag is changed.
The post Gov. Tate Reeves: If Legislature passes bill to change state flag, ‘I will sign it’ appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Looking for the Text from Tupelo’s New Mask Order? Here you go.
Here is a plain, searchable text version (most other versions we found were Images or PDF files) of City Of Tupelo Executive Order 20-018. Effective Monday June 29th at 6:00 PM
The following Local Executive Order further amends and supplements all previous Local Executive Orders and its Emergency Proclamation and Resolution adopted by the City of Tupelo, Mississippi, pertaining to COVID-19. All provisions of previous local orders and proclamations shall remain in full force and effect.
LOCAL EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-018
The White House and CDC guidelines state the criteria for reopening up America should be based on data driven conditions within each region or state before proceeding to the next phased opening. Data should be based on symptoms, cases, and hospitals. Based on cases alone, there must be a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period. There has been no such downward trajectory in the documented cases in Lee County since May 18, 2020.
Hospital numbers are not always readily available to policymakers; however, from information that has been maintained and communicated to the City of Tupelo, the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center is near or at their capacity for treating COVID-19 inpatients over the past two weeks without reopening additional areas for treating COVID-19 patients. The City of Tupelo is experiencing an increase in the number of cases of COVID-19. The case count 45 days prior to the date of this executive order was 77 cases. That number increased within 15 days to 107, and today, the number is 429 cases. The City of Tupelo is experiencing increases of 11.7 cases a day. This is not in conformity with the guidelines provided of a downward trajectory of positive tests. By any metric available, the City of Tupelo may not continue to the next phase of reopening.
Governor Tate Reeves in his Executive Order No. 1492(1)(i)(1) authorizes the City of Tupelo to implement more restrictive measures than currently in place for other Mississippians to facilitate preventative measures against COVID-19 thereby creating the downward trajectory necessary for reopening.
That the Tupelo Economic Recovery Task Force and North Mississippi Medical Center have formally requested that the City of Tupelo adopt a face covering policy.
In an effort to support the Northeast Mississippi Health System in their response to COVID-19 and to strive to keep the City of Tupelo’s economy remaining open for business, effective at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, June 29, 2020, all persons who are present within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo shall wear a clean face covering any time they are, or will be, in contact with other people in indoor public or business spaces where it is not possible to maintain social distance. While wearing the face covering, it is essential to still maintain social distance being the best defense against the spread of COVID-19. The intent of this executive order is to encourage voluntary compliance with the requirements established herein by the businesses and persons within the jurisdiction of the City of Tupelo.
It is recommended that all indoor public or business spaces require persons to wear a face covering for entry. Upon entry, social distancing and activities shall follow guidelines of the City of Tupelo and the Governor’s executive orders pertaining to particular businesses and business activity.
Persons shall properly wear face coverings ensuring the face covering covers the mouth and nose,
1. Signage should be posted by entrances to businesses stating the face covering requirement for entry. (Available for download at www.tupeloms.gov).
2. A patron located inside an indoor public or business space without a face covering will be asked to leave by the business owners if the patron is unwilling to come into compliance with wearing a face covering
3. Face coverings are not required for:
a. People whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing a face covering.
b. Those who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical or behavioral condition.
c. Restaurant patrons while dining.
d. Private, individual offices or offices with fewer than ten (10) employees.
e. Other settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering, including when obtaining or rendering goods or services, such as receipt of dental services or swimming.
f. Banks, gyms, or spaces with physical barrier partitions which prohibit contact between the customer(s) and employee.
g. Small offices where the public does not interact with the employer. h. Children under twelve (12).
i. That upon the formulation of an articulable safety plan which meets the goals of this
Executive Order businesses may seek an exemption by email at covid@tupeloms.gov
FACE COVERINGS DO NOT HAVE TO BE MEDICAL MASKS OR N95 MASKS. A BANDANA, SCARF, T–SHIRT, HOME–MADE MASKS, ETC. MAY BE USED. THEY MUST PROPERLY COVER BOTH A PERSON‘S MOUTH AND NOSE.
Those businesses that are subject to regulatory oversight of a separate state or federal agency shall follow the guidelines of said agency or regulating body if there is a conflict with this Executive Order.
Additional information can be found at www.tupeloms.gov COVID-19 information landing page.
Pursuant to Miss. Code Anno. 833-15-17(d)(1972 as amended), this Local Executive Order shall remain in full effect under these terms until reviewed, approved or disapproved at the first regular meeting following such Local Executive Order or at a special meeting legally called for such a review.
The City of Tupelo reserves its authority to respond to local conditions as necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.
So ordered, this the 26th day of June, 2020.
Jason L. Shelton, Mayor
ATTEST:
Kim Hanna, CFO/City Clerk
State mail-in voting remains ‘most restrictive’ under legislative proposal, senator says
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
Sen. David Blount listens to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann during legislative session at the Capitol in May.
Mississippi will continue to be the only state in the nation to require both the absentee ballot and the request of the absentee ballot to be notarized under compromise legislation that is expected to be voted on in the coming days.
Legislators have been working on proposals they say are designed to make it safer and easier to vote this November in light of COVID-19 concerns. But in the compromise proposal hammered out between House and Senate leaders, Mississippians would still be required to get both documents notarized when voting absentee.
“We have the most restrictive, onerous, difficult vote-by-mail laws in the nation,” said Sen. David Blount of Jackson, the only Democrat assigned by leaders to work on the compromise legislation and not pleased with the final outcome. “We needed to change the laws before the coronavirus. We certainly need to change them now.”
Republicans have been reluctant to ease the state’s absentee voting laws because they say they are concerned about fraud occurring in the mail-in voting process.
Most states have changed their early voting laws for upcoming elections to make it easier to vote if the coronavirus is an issue in November.
House Elections Chair Jim Beckett, R-Bruce, said the final compromise hammered out, and most likely to be voted on by the full Legislature in the coming days, will put in place safeguards. In addition legislators are looking to provide more funds to local governments for elections.
The House on Friday passed a bill to spend $16.5 million in federal CARES Act money in an effort to make Mississippi elections safer during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bulk of the spending, about $15 million, would go to purchase optical ballot scanner machines.
“These machines are for the purpose of reducing our human contact during elections,” said Beckett, author of House Bill 1789. “Some counties already have this equipment.” But he said about 68 of the state’s 82 counties do not have the scanners.
The “optical mark reading” machines would be easier to clean and sanitize than the “direct recording electronic” machines many counties use.
Other spending in the bill would go to hire more than 2,000 additional poll workers, at $125 a day, to help at polling precincts with cleaning, promoting social distancing and other duties.
The measure would also provide $665,000 to county circuit clerks to hire additional deputy clerks temporarily to help with an expected increase in absentee voting and other work.
About $20,500 would go to pay election commissioners an extra $50 for Election Day “for pandemic pay due to the increased risk of exposure to COVID-19.”
Rep. Omeria Scott, D-Laurel, questioned whether the bill would provide enough money for counties to open more precincts and hire enough people to make elections safe amid the pandemic.
Beckett said the bill was drafted after consultation with the secretary of state’s office – which had in turn consulted county leaders. He said the secretary of state has also received more than $4 million in federal money to help with election costs and that other legislation would allow counties to hire more election workers with local tax dollars.
Other election changes that are likely to be voted on in the coming days would give people who do vote by mail more time to get their ballots returned to the local circuit clerk’s office. The proposal also would allow people who are ill because of COVID-19 or in quarantine to vote by mail or in person.
In addition, Secretary of State Michael Watson, whose office oversees elections, said earlier he believes existing law would allow the circuit clerks to let people vote early if they had coronavirus concerns, such as a pre-existing condition. Many Democrats, though, said that would not be enough of an allowance since the early voting exception could be interpreted differently from county to county.
“The state of Mississippi is making no provisions for voting during the coronavirus pandemic,” Blount said. “That is a mistake. That puts Mississippians at risk.”
Unlike Mississippi, a vast majority of states already allow no excuse early voting.
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Marshall Ramsey: The Choice
The post Marshall Ramsey: The Choice appeared first on Mississippi Today.
‘Now is the time’: Mississippi NAACP leader urges lawmakers to change state flag quickly
As legislators consider changing the state flag, Mississippi Today spoke with Robert James, president of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP about his thoughts on elected officials’ role in removing it.
Lawmakers are expected to begin the process of changing the state flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem, as early as Saturday as the Legislature moves toward the end of its 2020 session.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Mississippi NAACP
Robert James, president of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP
Q: What do you think about the state flag?
James: If Mississippi is going to be a state that unifies all of its citizens, we must take a stand to eliminate this bitter hatred and get rid of this flag. And (if) there ever was a time for our officials to stand against this flag that’s been detrimental to our community, now is the time. Our legislators have the power, they have the collective voice of the people to act at this moment, and it’s their moment and their time to remove this Confederate monument from this state.
Do you think the flag right now represents Mississippi?
James: The flag right now represents seceding from the Union. It represents prejudice. It represents our past and history that does not and will not unify the citizens as one group of people. If we are living in a state that will continue to carry on the legacy of hate, racism, that flag does not represent us, the citizens of Mississippi. It never did unify us as citizens of the state of Mississippi. My thought is, it is the continuing cry for the lost cause of the Confederacy. That’s why it hasn’t been removed.
I just call on the legislators in the midst of this to do the right thing. It is a moment to act, it is a season to act, it is their season to vote and take down this symbol of hate in our state. Today is the day to move on that.
What is it about this moment? It seems like now is the first time in a long time lawmakers are having real conversations about changing the state flag.
James: The discussion has always been real when it comes to the African American stand on this Confederate emblem flag. There’s no issue on that. We’ve been fighting this and we will continue to fight this. (This flag) is not what Mississippi should be standing up for. Mississippi should be rallying its citizens. (This issue is) Not just about one side of people who are carrying the legacy of the lost cause of the Confederacy. Now is the time to move the state forward.
The post ‘Now is the time’: Mississippi NAACP leader urges lawmakers to change state flag quickly appeared first on Mississippi Today.
Lawmakers plan to begin voting Saturday to change Mississippi state flag
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today
As has always been custom, the Mississippi state flag over the House chamber is removed at the end of the day.
Lawmakers are expected to begin the process of changing the Mississippi state flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem, as early as Saturday as the Legislature moves toward the end of its 2020 session.
As of Friday at noon, the plan — which several sources reiterated was “extremely fluid” — is for the House of Representatives to begin the legislative process to remove or replace the flag on Saturday morning.
A resolution will be filed that would suspend the rules so that legislators could take up a bill to address the flag. This resolution is expected to be the most difficult part of the process because it requires approval of a two-thirds majority in each chamber (82 of 122 House members, 35 of 52 Senate members). And the resolution must be passed by both chambers before either chamber could actually begin the process of debating the actual bill.
If the two-thirds threshold to suspend the rules is met, a simple majority would be required to pass the actual bill (62 of 122 House members, 27 of 52 Senate members).
Sources close to House leadership say they have — for now — the two-thirds majority votes to suspend rules, but they stress the margin is very thin.
On the Senate side, reports are that the leadership is “close” — within one or two votes — to having a two-thirds vote to suspend rules. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said the plan is for the House to move first.
“We have nothing to discuss on the Senate side, as you know … unless the House adopts their resolution,” Hosemann said on Thursday afternoon as he walked to a meeting with House Speaker Philip Gunn.
But as of noon on Friday, there is no consensus between House and Senate leadership over how, exactly, they will press forward with the actual bill itself. Many, including former Gov. Phil Bryant and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, have expressed support for a flag displaying the state seal, which includes the phrase “In God We Trust.” The influential Mississippi Economic Council, the state’s chamber of commerce, appeared to back that design with its release of a poll this week.
Legislative leaders have also discussed removing the current flag this session and forming a commission to develop multiple replacement designs to be placed on a ballot for a vote.
Gunn and Hosemann, as pressure mounts from religious, business, civic, university, sports and other leaders to remove the Confederate emblem from the flag, have attempted to whip a reluctant GOP majority in the Legislature into changing the flag.
Many Republican lawmakers have for years opposed changing the flag, particularly without a popular vote on the issue. Some who want the Legislature to change it fear a backlash from constituents.
And Republican Gov. Tate Reeves – the de facto head of the state GOP – opposes the Legislature changing the flag.
But that sentiment appears to be changing among some lawmakers.
Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, in a 2017 social media post said that those who support the removal of Confederate monuments should be “lynched.” In recent weeks, he declined to comment on the flag issue.
But on Thursday, Oliver issued a statement that said: “I am choosing to attempt to unite our state and ask each of you to join me in supporting a flag that creates unity — now is the time.” Oliver’s statement said the flag issue is growing “more divisive by the day” and “History will record the position I chose.”
A growing list of businesses, cities, counties and other groups have either stopped flying the flag or asked leaders to change it. Religious leaders have spoken out, saying changing the flag is a “moral issue.” The NCAA, SEC, and Conference USA this month took action to ban post-season play in the state until the flag is changed.
The post Lawmakers plan to begin voting Saturday to change Mississippi state flag appeared first on Mississippi Today.