JACKSON, Miss. – A bill that would add the U.S. national motto “In God We Trust” to the state seal passed the Mississippi Senate Friday.
The “Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act” was sponsored by Senator Phillip Gandy, R-Waynesboro, who is also a Baptist minister. Currently the state seal only has the words, “The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi.”
Governor Phil Bryant requested the change. “I continue to believe this is the right time to stand for our beliefs — our faith, our families, and our nation,” he said during his January 22 State of the State address.
The bill, which also guarantees government cannot interfere with Mississippians’ right to exercise religion, now moves to the House.
