Texas House Republicans on Sunday passed a bill that would mandate the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, another major victory for the state’s hardline Christian conservatives.
But the bill’s future remains uncertain even if signed into law. Last year, a federal judge struck down a similar law as “unconstitutional on its face.”
The lower chamber on Saturday spent hours debating the aptly named Senate Bill 10 before passing it in second reading by a vote of 88-49. Republicans killed numerous amendments proposed by Democrats that would have given school districts a chance to vote on the policy or that would have included texts central to other religions on the posters, too.
Before passing the measure on Sunday, the House approved Austin Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa’s amendment to clarify that the state will be responsible for defending schools or school districts in lawsuits against the posters.
“In a cause of action defended by the attorney general under this subsection, the state is liable for the expenses, costs, judgments, or settlements of the claims arising out of the representation,” per the amendment, and “the attorney general may settle or compromise any and all claims under this subsection.”
The final vote on the bill as amended was 82-46.
Because of that amendment, the Senate will need to approve the change before it is sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for signature into law. It is almost certain to find support there. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, declared the Ten Commandments bill one of his top priorities this session.
SB 10 would require all Texas public school classrooms to display posters of the Ten Commandments measuring at least 16 inches by 20 inches “in a conspicuous place” that is legible to students anywhere in the room.
Those posters must display only the text of the version of the Ten Commandments prescribed in the bill, which duplicates the unofficial translation etched on the granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol that the Fraternal Order of Eagles donated to the state in 1961.
Any poster that annotates the Ten Commandments to add context or explain its history would not meet the bill’s requirement.
The bill is one of many proposed by Republicans this session that seeks to bring Christianity specifically into public schools, following a broader national movement that views the separation of church and state as a myth. This weekend, House members also approved a measure allowing public schools to organize voluntary prayer groups and Bible readings.
Last session, lawmakers came close to passing a Ten Commandments mandate, also drafted by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, but it failed to pass out of the House amid the logjam of late-session bills needing approval.
That same year, Louisiana passed an almost identical bill, prompting the lieutenant governor to complain that “Texas WOULD have been and SHOULD have been the first state in the nation to put the 10 Commandments back in our schools.” He blamed its failure to pass on then-House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican from Beaumont, and vowed to pass it out of the Senate next time.
Last year, a federal judge struck down that Louisiana law. Louisiana is appealing that decision.
