NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee House has passed a bill that would make it more difficult to remove statutes or rename streets dedicated to historical figures like Confederate leaders.
The chamber voted 71-23 on Thursday to approve the measure dubbed the “Tennessee Heritage Protection Act.”
Calls to remove Confederate imagery from public places multiplied rapidly across the South after a white man espousing racist views killed nine black churchgoers last June in Charleston, South Carolina.
RELATED CONTENT Lawmakers question bust of Klan leader in Tennessee capitol
Under current state law it takes a majority vote of the 29-member Tennessee Historical Commission to allow the removal or renaming of memorials by the state or local governments. The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Steve McDaniel of Parkers Crossroads would increase that threshold to require two-thirds of the commission to allow for a change.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.