IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 344 

Urging the discontinued use of the Confederate battle flag, which represents 

pain, humiliation, torture, and racial oppression, in remembrance of 

the Emanuel 9. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 25, 2015 

Mr. CLYBURN (for himself, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. ADAMS, 

Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

CLAY, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of 

Illinois, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. AL GREEN of 

Texas, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 

Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. LEE, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. LEWIS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 

VEASEY, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. 

BASS, Ms. BROWN of Florida, and Mr. SCOTT of Virginia) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Urging the discontinued use of the Confederate battle flag, 

which represents pain, humiliation, torture, and racial 

oppression, in remembrance of the Emanuel 9. 

Whereas the Confederate battle flag has always been recognized as a deeply offensive symbol of opposition to civil 

rights legislation, integration, justice, education, and access to equal opportunity; 


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•HRES 344 IH 

Whereas officials have called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina 

State House in light of the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South 

Carolina, where the following nine citizens were killed because they were African-American: Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sr., Tywanza Sanders, Cynthia Hurd, Sharonda Singleton, Myra Thompson, Susie 

Jackson, Ethel Lance, and Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor; 

Whereas for decades, prominent African-American leaders 

along with members of the general public have fought 

and called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag, 

as an insulting representation of humiliation, torture, and 

racial oppression; 

Whereas Walmart, Sears, eBay, and Amazon will discontinue 

selling merchandise displaying the Confederate battle 

flag; 

Whereas three other States still have depictions of or symbolic references to the Confederate battle flag adopted in 

their own flags, including— 

(1) Mississippi: the upper-left corner of the State 

flag is a smaller version of the Confederate battle flag; 

(2) Alabama: the red cross of the State flag was designed to preserve some of the distinctive features and 

ideals of the Confederate battle flag; and 

(3) Florida: the cross on the State flag was inspired 

by the design of the Alabama flag; 

Whereas the Supreme Court of the United States issued a 

ruling on June 18, 2015, in Walker v. Texas Division, 

Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc., stating that Texas 


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•HRES 344 IH 

did not violate the Constitution by prohibiting license 

plates depicting the Confederate battle flag; 

Whereas Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and 

West Virginia continue to allow the depiction of the Confederate battle flag on license plates; and 

Whereas continued display of the Confederate battle flag has 

resulted in perpetual racial tension and conflict; instilled 

pain in the lives of American people; and been appropriated as a symbol of hatred, brutality, and oppression: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives, under2 standing that the United States can achieve a more per3 fect Union through avoidance of ‘‘government speech’’ 

4 which promotes or displays symbols, signs, and vestiges 

5 of racism, oppression, and intimidation in the States, lo6 calities, and territories, and urging the promotion of toler7 ance and unity by taking actions to ensure that ‘‘govern8 ment speech’’ does not foster division, disharmony, or in9 tolerance through government-issued or sponsored flags, 

10 signs, images, or other symbols— 

11 (1) urges States hanging the Confederate battle 

12 flag in public and State locations to remove the flag; 

13 (2) urges States to discontinue use of the Con14 federate battle flag and its likeness on any property 

15 deemed governmental speech, including license 

16 plates; 


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•HRES 344 IH 

1 (3) urges businesses to discontinue selling Con2 federate battle flags and any related merchandise; 

3 and 

4 (4) urges States with flags that include depic5 tions of and symbolic references to the Confederate 

6 battle flag to remove those depictions and references. 

Æ 


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