Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, vowed to reintroduce legislation requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in the state’s public schools after a prior failed effort in Texas and success in Louisiana, which just became the first state in the country to adopt such a mandate.
“Texas WOULD have been and SHOULD have been the first state in the nation to put the 10 Commandments back in our schools,” Mr. Patrick wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Mr. Patrick noted that the Texas Senate approved a bill to that effect (SB 1515) in the last session, but the measure never came to the House floor for a vote.
“I will pass the 10 Commandments Bill again out of the Senate next session,” he pledged. “SB 1515 will bring back this historical tradition of recognizing America’s heritage, and remind students all across Texas of the importance of a fundamental foundation of American and Texas law: the Ten Commandments.”
SB 1515 would have required the Ten Commandments to be displayed in each classroom in Texas public elementary and public schools, much like legislation that several days ago became law in Louisiana, making it the first state in the union to mandate the display of the religiously and culturally significant text at all public schools and colleges.
While the measure sailed through the Texas Senate on party-line votes and received a vote of approval from a House committee once it was sent to the lower chamber, it was among dozens of bills that didn’t get a floor vote before a deadline.
The bill was opposed by Democrats, who said it would be offensive to non-Christians and would blur the line between church and state.
Louisiana Ten Commandments Law
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed House Bill 71 into law on June 18, making Louisiana the first state to enact legislation mandating that the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed at all public schools.
Mr. Landry said his rationale for signing the bill was about moral revival.
“Across the country, crime is skyrocketing, mental health is on the decline, and our education system is failing our children. Putting the Ten Commandments in our public classrooms is a step in the right direction to restore our morals and values,” he wrote in a post on X on June 21.
Former President Donald Trump lauded the move in a post on Truth Social, calling Mr. Landry’s decision to sign the measure into law possibly the “first major step the revival of religion, which is desperately needed, in our country.”
Under the legislation, schools in Louisiana that receive state funds will have to display the Ten Commandments in each building and every classroom.
The Ten Commandments must be presented at the main focal point of a poster or framed document measuring at least 11 inches by 14 inches and printed in a large enough font to make the text easy to read.
A Ten Commandments memorial rests in the lobby of the rotunda of the State Judicial Building in Montgomery, Ala., in 2022. Gary Tramontina/Getty Images
The new law also requires a 200-word context statement explaining that the Ten Commandments were a prominent part of public education in the United States for nearly three centuries.
The context statement notes that the Ten Commandments have been included in some of the most popular textbooks in U.S. history.
The measure was spearheaded by Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton (R), who successfully led an effort last year to require the motto “In God We Trust” to be displayed in Louisiana classrooms.
More than a dozen states have enacted laws mandating or explicitly allowing schools to display the “In God We Trust” motto.
Bill Pan contributed to this report.
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
