S.C. Senate Passes Bill to Remove Confederate Flag from Capitol

South Carolina's Senate voted this week to give final approval to officially remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol in Columbia.

The senate voted 36-3 on Tuesday to have the flag removed from capitol grounds, and the bill now moves to the Republican-controlled house for approval before heading to the desk of Nikki Haley for final approval.

Haley, who has championed the recent push to remove the flag, issued a statement hailing the recent senate vote.

"The South Carolina Senate today rose to this historic occasion, with a large majority of members from both parties coming together in the spirit of unity and healing that is binding our state back together and moving us forward in the right direction," Gov. Haley said in a statement.

"I applaud the Senate's decisive action, look forward to the Senate giving the bill third reading in the morning, and ask that the House act swiftly and follow the Senate's lead," Haley added in a statement released Monday.

Although controversy regarding the confederate flag's true meaning has continued for years, the push to remove the flag from the capitol became especially strong after 21-year-old Dylann Roof opened fire in an African American church in Charleston in late June, killing nine in what he described as an attempt to start a race war.

While some argue that the confederate flag represents racism and slavery, others argue that the flag is a symbol of southern culture and history.