Retirement of the Former Mississippi State Flag
On June 30, 2020, Governor Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1796, which establishes a commission to redesign the Mississippi state flag. According to the legislation, the removal of the former official state flag shall take place not later than fifteen days from the effective date of this act.
On Wednesday, July 1, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn presented MDAH with the last flags to fly over the state capitol. The flags will be added to the permanent collection.
The Mississippi Code does not provide guidelines for flag retirement ceremonies, but according to Mississippi Code Section 3-3-15, “The state flag shall receive all of the respect and ceremonious etiquette given the American flag.”
Organizations that receive flags for dignified and respectful removal include local fire departments, American Legion posts, Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, and the Boy Scouts of America. In some cases, local history museums may accept donations of flags.