A bill that would have required Texas public schools to display the Ten Commandments has failed
(CNN) — The Republican-controlled Texas State House failed to advance a controversial bill on Tuesday that would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
Senate Bill 1515 was effectively killed early Wednesday morning after House lawmakers did not meet a midnight deadline for a vote that would have advanced the bill for a third and final passage.
The bill, authored by Republican state Sen. Phil King, requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in a “conspicuous place” in each classroom in a “size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom,” CNN previously reported.
King has previously said the bill will help restore religious liberties “that were lost” and it “reminds students all across Texas of the importance of a fundamental foundation” of America.
The legislative session ends on May 29, and there is still time for legislators to use procedural tactics to bring up the bill again. But it now faces a more difficult path.
The legislation has faced criticism after passing the state Senate last month.
“Parents should be able to decide what religious materials their child should learn, not the (Texas legislature),” the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas said in a statement last month.
It isn’t the only legislation in Texas relating to religion and school to pass through. Senate Bill 1396, which would require schools to allow time for students and employees to pray and read the Bible on each school day, was also passed by the Senate last month.
