BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to protect the state's confederate monuments.

The house voted on Bill No. 71 Monday afternoon. The bill, which "provides for the conservation of public military memorials," was passed with a 65-31 vote.

Shreveport Representative Thomas Carmody proposed the bill to prohibit the removal of any military monument from any war without approval from a majority of voters.

After the bill was passed, members of the Louisiana Black Caucus exited the legislative session. The caucus released a statement Monday afternoon, calling the vote a "disgrace" for the house and the state. The group scheduled a Tuesday morning press conference to discuss the bill.

Empty seats left behind by members of the Louisiana Black Caucus (Photo: The Times-Picayune)

The bill will now move on to the senate for approval.

To read the bill in its entirety, click HERE.