The Confederate flag that flies on South Carolina Statehouse grounds is one signature away from being removed after the state House of Representatives passed its final vote on the measure early Thursday morning, Reuters reports.
According to the report, state representatives, on their third and final vote, passed the measure with a sweeping 94-20 vote in the early hours of the morning. All that is left is for the bill to be signed by Republican Gov. Nikki Haley and made into law. Haley had already made it clear that she would sign it.
The controversial symbol became the focus of heated national attention after nine people were killed, allegedly by gunman Dylann Roof, at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C, during a Bible study last month. However, some were still hesitant to remove the battle flag, which many Carolinians and other Americans see as a symbol of Southern pride. Some state Republicans attempted to compromise, seeking dozens of amendments, ranging from replacing the battle flag with another Confederate flag to flying it only once a year on Confederate Memorial Day.
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