Illinois Flag Commission takes shape as Minnesota chooses new flag  

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The state of Minnesota will adopt a new flag in 2024, and the state of Illinois is slowly putting together a commission that could yield a similar swap.

Under provisions of a bill signed earlier this year by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois Flag Commission will be tasked with deciding not only whether or not the state’s flag needs to be replaced, but on what design it will ultimately recommend as the new banner.

The current state flag was adopted in July 1970, featuring an eagle holding a banner with the state’s motto in its beak. The eagle is also holding a shield in its talons, and is standing on a rock with the years 1818, representing the year Illinois was recognized as a state, and 1868, the year in which the state’s seal was adopted.

The commission’s aim will be to determine whether the state should adopt a new flag that is more representative of the state as a whole, but they are not legally required to change the banner.

Under provisions of SB 1818, a commission made up of 22 members will ultimately make the decision. While 13 members have been appointed, nine spots still need to be filled.

The latter list includes a position set aside for Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, or for a person he designates, to serve as the chair of the committee.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will also appoint three members, as will the minority leader of the State Senate.

State Sens. Terri Bryant and Doris Turner have both been appointed, as has Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso. Rep. Tom Weber is also on the commission, along with Donna Sack, chairwoman of the Illinois State Museum.

If Illinois does adopt a new flag, they would just be the latest state to do so. Minnesota officially voted to adopt a new banner this week, featuring an eight-pointed North Star against a blue background that is shaped like the state.

The old flag depicts a Native American riding into a sunset while a white settler plows a field with a rifle on a stump, and according to the Associated Press, the design was found to “suggest that Indigenous people were defeated and going away, while whites won and were staying” by critics.

The state’s Dakota and Ojibwe tribes considered the design offensive.

A new seal was also adopted, and will feature a loon and the Dakota name for Minnesota: Mni Sóta Makoce. The gold marks on the exterior represent each of Minnesota’s counties.

There is no timeline for the commission to meet, but they will be tasked with deciding on how to accept public input toward the design of a new flag in 2024.

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