Senate panel votes for bill to remove Confederate statue

Author: the associated press
Published:
Surges in early voting, beyond 2014 totals. Photo via MGN.
Surges in early voting, beyond 2014 totals. Photo via MGN.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Florida legislators are moving ahead with a proposal to replace the statue of a Confederate general at the U.S. Capitol.

A Florida Senate panel on Tuesday voted for a bill calling for removal of the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith from the Capitol, where every state is allowed to have two statues. Only Sen. Alan Hays voted no on the bill.

A similar bill is also moving in the Florida House. The full Legislature will likely consider the bill during the 2016 session that starts in January.

The bill (SB 310) sponsored by Sen. John Legg would start the process of selecting a sculptor and a prominent Floridian to replace Smith.

The Florida Senate voted in October to remove the Confederate battle flag from the chamber’s official seal.

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