Ark. panel rejects removing Robert E. Lee from Martin Luther King holiday

A bid to end Arkansas' practice of commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day was rejected by lawmakers Wednesday after opponents said the move would belittle Southern heritage.

Arkansas is one of three states to jointly celebrate the two on the third Monday in January.

According to The Associated Press, the proposal called for changing Lee's day to  Nov. 30 as "Patrick Cleburne - Robert E. Lee Southern Heritage Day," so the day could be shared with Cleburne, a confederate general from Arkansas. The legislation also would have repealed a state law declaring June 3 as a state memorial day in honor of former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis' birthday.

Read more from The Associated Press.