Jackson, June 10 (RHC)-- A bi-partisan group of lawmakers in the southern state of Mississippi have begun drafting a resolution that would change that state's flag -- the last in the United States that incorporates the Confederate battle emblem.

The effort, which enjoys the support of the speaker of the state house, Philip Gunn, is the first attempt by the legislature to change the flag since the state voted in 2001 by a nearly 2-to-1 margin to keep the current flag, according to a report on the Mississippi Today news service.

If such a bill were to pass both chambers of the state house, it would need to be signed by Republican Governor Tate Reeves, who has said he wants voters -- not legislators -- to decide the fate of the flag.