A bill that would require public schools in Texas to place the Ten Commandments in every classroom is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after the Senate on Sunday voted to approve it.
The measure was approved by the Texas state Senate in an 82-46 vote, a day after the state House approved it in an 88-49 vote.
The bill would require every public classroom in Texas to display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments that is at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall, according to a report by Nexstar’s KXAN.
No school would be exempt from this bill, although KXAN reported that it does not appear to have any enforcement on schools that do not comply.
The sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Candy Noble, said the Ten Commandments are foundational to the American educational and judicial systems, arguing the commandments were cited favorably in more than 500 court cases.
“Nothing is more deep rooted in the fabric of our American tradition of education than the Ten Commandments. The very way we treat others as a society come from the principles found in the Ten Commandments,” Noble said during the bill layout Saturday on the House floor, per KXAN.
Opponents of the bill had argued that placing the Ten Commandments in public school rooms amounted to a violation of church and state and would indoctrinate students. Amendments from Democrats seeking to add other faiths to the displays in public school rooms were rejected.
Abbott is expected to sign the bill.
