MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2017 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representative Williams-Barnes

House Bill 1281

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 3-3-16, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CHANGE THE DESIGN OF THE OFFICIAL FLAG OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI TO THAT OF THE FIRST OFFICIAL FLAG OF MISSISSIPPI KNOWN AS THE "MAGNOLIA FLAG"; 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.  The official flag of the State of Mississippi shall have the following design:  * * *with width two‑thirds (2/3) of its length; with the union (canton) to be square, in width two‑thirds (2/3) of the width of the flag; the ground of the union to be red and a broad blue saltire thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with thirteen (13) mullets or five‑pointed stars, corresponding with the number of the original States of the Union; the field to be divided into three (3) bars of equal width, the upper one blue, the center one white, and the lower one, extending the whole length of the flag, red (the national colors); this being the flag adopted by the Mississippi Legislature in the 1894 Special Session. with width two-thirds (2/3) of its length; with the union (canton) to be square, in width two-thirds (2/3) of the width of the flag; the ground of the union to be old glory blue, and emblazoned with one (1) large white five-pointed star pointed upward; the field to be white, bordered with red on the fly side and centered upon the field to be the design of a large green magnolia tree in full bloom; this being the official flag of the State of Mississippi before the flag adopted by the Mississippi Legislature in the 1894 Special Session, which is known as the "Magnolia Flag".

     SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.