House moves to ban Confederate flags from federal cemeteries

The House moved to ban Confederate flags from historic federal cemeteries in the South in a vote Tuesday night, The Associated Press reports. The measure, proposed by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), prevents private groups from decorating the graves of soldiers with Confederate Flags in Southern states that observe Confederate Memorial Day. The flag ban was accepted by a voice vote last night; the entirety of the Park Service funding bill will be voted on tomorrow.

A state paid holiday in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, Confederate Memorial Day is additionally observed in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. While the dates of the memorial day vary, celebrations often coincide with the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Several states likewise celebrate the birthday of Robert E. Lee.

On Monday, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds; lawmakers nationwide began pushing for the removal of Confederate flags, considered by many to be a racist symbol, after a white gunman last month killed nine African-Americans attending a Bible study group in a historically black Charleston church.

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