California Bill Banning Confederate Flag Merchandise Heads To Gov. Brown's Desk
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF) -- Gift shops in California may soon have to get rid of some extra inventory if Gov. Jerry Brown signs a bill that would ban the state from displaying or selling merchandise with the Confederate flag.
Assemblyman Isadore Hall, D-Compton, introduced AB2444 after he said his mother saw a replica of the Confederate money sold in the Capitol's gift shop. It passed the Assembly on a bipartisan 66-1 vote this week.
If it gets Gov. Brown's signature, it would become illegal for state government agencies to sell or display the Confederate flag on its property, with exemptions for museums, libraries and in written and online media.
Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, who carried the bill in the Senate, called the flag "the quintessential symbol of racism."
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said the exceptions are needed so that future generations can learn about a symbol that he equated to the Nazi swastika.
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