“Today, the future has taken root in the present. Today, we and the rest of the nation can look on our state with new eyes, with pride and hope,” speaker of the House Philip Gunn told Mississippi Today after both houses of the state legislature approved the measure.

The controversial flag was almost immediately removed from the State Capitol, as the Republican Governor, Tate Reeves, previously confirmed that he would sign the bill, saying it was “time to end” arguments and division over the 1894 symbol.