Early today, the South Carolina House of Representatives voted 94-20 to remove the Confederate battle flag, giving final approval to a bill that passed the state Senate earlier in the week.
The vote count was more than the two-thirds needed — but it came after a handful of lawmakers mounted a tenacious last stand, proposing amendment after amendment that led the debate to drag on more than 12 hours, reported CNN.
Gov. Nikki Haley plans to sign the bill into law at 4 p.m. Thursday in a ceremony in the State House lobby. The legislation calls for the flag to be taken down within 24 hours of her signing of the bill and moved to the state’s Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum for display.
“Today, as the Senate did before them, the House of Representatives has served the State of South Carolina and her people with great dignity. I’m grateful for their service and their compassion. It is a new day in South Carolina, a day we can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state,” Haley said in a statement early Thursday.
