Oklahoma bill would protect Confederate monuments

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A state senator says an Oklahoma bill to protect military monuments on public property has been altered in a way to preserve memorials to the Confederacy.

The bill was approved by the Senate last year and remains alive in the current legislative session.

In its original version, the bill prevented state and local governments from renaming or removing structures or monuments that honor military figures or events for a list of military conflicts starting with World War I and ending with the second Persian Gulf War.

The bill was replaced with a version that didn’t specify which wars were covered when it got to a House committee March 30.

Republican state Sen. David Holt says he learned of the issue from a constituent.