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Legislation mandating the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school and college classrooms passes in the Senate on a 30 to 8 vote. New Orleans Senator Royce Duplessis challenged Bossier City Senator Adam Bass who presented House Bill 71 in the upper chamber.
“Do you believe that posting of the Ten Commandments isn’t a divisive concept?” Duplessis asked.
“No,” said Bass.
“You don’t believe it could be considered a divisive concept by someone who does not practice Christianity?” Duplessis questioned.
“I don’t feel like ‘Thou Shall Not Murder’ is divisive I would say that everyone here would agree with that,” said Bass.
Donations or fundraisers would pay for the signs, but Duplessis argued the legislation is an unfunded mandate, requiring schools to display them but not providing the means to do so.
Duplessis said the bill is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment by promoting one religion over another.
“But I firmly believe that if this bill, or when this bill becomes law, it will be challenged and it will likely be struck down. We’re going to spend valuable state resources defending a lawsuit when we really need to be teaching our kids how to read and write,” said Duplessis.
Duplessis, a practicing Catholic, said if parents want their children to learn the Ten Commandments they should take them to Sunday School.
Monroe Senator Jay Morris amended the bill to recognize the Ten Commandments as a historical document.
“The recent decisions of the State Supreme Court make it crystal clear that if there are multiple reasons to have something posted in the room it’s ok to mandate it,” said Morris.
The amended bill returns to the House for final passage.
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