Yesterday afternoon, Senators Derrick Simmons and David Blount introduced a resolution that would suspend the rules for consideration and ultimately revive Senate Bill 2446 to change the Mississippi state flag.
Governor Tate Reeves, during an appearance on this morning’s episode of The Gallo Show, voiced his opinion on the move made by Simmons, Blount, and company.
“I don’t think that a small cadre of individuals in Jackson making that decision is going to be the best thing for the state long term,” Reeves said. “I think there’s no doubt that what’s happened in the last several weeks has certainly raised a profile. It’s something that we as a state need to continue to work on and figure out. I just don’t think that an immediate change by politicians in Jackson is the right long-term solution for Mississippi.”
The resolution will most likely be sent to the Rules Committee, and if it passes out of committee, it would then be brought to the floor, where a 2/3 vote in each chamber would be needed to introduce a flag-changing bill.
Reeves does not foresee the resolution making it past either chamber.
“I would be surprised if there were an adequate number of votes,” he said. “There’s an awful lot of people who ran for office in 2019, myself included, who told the people of our state that they believe the only way in which the flag should change is if the people of Mississippi decide to change it.”
The last time Mississippians received a chance to vote for the removal of the state flag was in 2001.
