A bill requiring that the Ten Commandments be displayed in Texas classrooms is expected to be signed by Governor Greg Abbott (R).
The bill, SB 10, passed the House in an 88-49 vote and cleared the Senate in March in a 20-11 vote.
After the Senate passed the bill in March, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement, “By placing the Ten Commandments in our public school classrooms, we ensure our students receive the same foundational moral compass as our state and country’s forefathers. I thank Sen. Phil King for carrying this key legislation.”
According to the bill, a “public elementary or secondary school shall display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments that meets the requirements” described in the legislation, which include clear visibility and being at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
Upon filing the bill, State Senator Phil King (R) said the Ten Commandments are “part of our Texas and American story.”
“They are ingrained into who we are as a people and as a nation,” King said. “Today, our students cry out for the moral clarity, for the statement of right and wrong that they represent. If our students don’t know the Ten Commandments, they will never understand the foundation for much of American history and law.”
Another bill headed to Abbott’s desk, SB 11, allows public schools to implement a period of prayer and Bible reading, or the reading of another religious text, during the school day.
“The board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school that is not operated by or affiliated with a religious organization may by record vote on a resolution” and “adopt a policy requiring every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period ofprayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text.”
