MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2024 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Hill

Senate Bill 2219

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 3-3-16, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CHANGE THE OFFICIAL STATE FLAG OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO PROVIDE THAT THE OFFICIAL STATE FLAG SHALL BE THE DESIGN BY LOURIE FORMBY; TO PROVIDE A DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGN; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

     SECTION 1.  Section 3-3-16, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     3-3-16. * * * (1)  The official flag of the State of Mississippi is the design * * * recommended by the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag that was established by Chapter 427, Laws of 2020, and approved by the people of the State of Mississippi in the statewide election held on November 3, 2020 by Lourie Formby, which is described as follows:

     The vertical height is seventy-two (72) units and the horizontal length is one hundred twenty (120) units (dimensions 3:5, but variable), with * * * two (2) vertical bars at the hoist and the fly, the outer bars being twenty‑five (25) units wide in Old Glory Red (Pantone red 200) and the inner bars being five (5) units wide in Old Gold (Pantone gold 7563).  The vertical bars flank a central panel sixty (60) units wide in Old Glory Blue (Pantone blue 282), and in the center of the panel is the artwork that is two‑thirds (2/3) the height of the flag or forty‑eight (48) units.  The artwork is comprised of the stylized white magnolia blossom with a stamen in Old Gold that was adopted by the commission, surrounded by an array of twenty (20) white five‑point stars in a circle, with ten (10) of the stars flanking the magnolia at the hoist side and ten (10) of the stars flanking the magnolia at the fly side.  At the top of the circle is a five‑point segmented star in Old Gold, and at the bottom of and joined into the circle is the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" in all capital letters and in Americana font the Great Seal of the State of Mississippi on a navy blue field on the hoist side.  The fly side has three horizontal stripes, red on both top and bottom and white in the center.  The date of statehood, 1817, is displayed in the center of the white stripe.  The red and white stripes are separated from the navy blue field by a white boundary indicating the Mississippi River.

 * * * (2)  The Magnolia is the state flower of Mississippi and is a symbol that has long represented our state and the hospitality of our citizens, and also represents our state's sense of hope and rebirth as the Magnolia often blooms more than once and has a long blooming season.  The circle of twenty (20) stars represents Mississippi as the twentieth state of the United States of America and the circle is anchored at the top by the gold five‑point star, which represents our first peoples, the indigenous Native American tribes of the land that would become Mississippi, and also represents Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia/Oceania and Europe, which are the five (5) inhabited areas of the world from which all Mississippians originate.  The color blue in the center panel echoes the blue of the American flag, representing vigilance, justice and perseverance, and the red bars represent the hardiness and valor of our citizens.  The gold bars and the gold stamen of the Magnolia represent the rich cultural history of Mississippi, specifically the visual arts, literature, music and performing arts that have originated in our state.

     SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

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