An Indiana General Assembly bill to protect teachers’ rights to display the Ten Commandments in Indiana public schools is after failing to get a vote ahead of a key legislative deadline.
House Bill 1086 would have made the Ten Commandments a protected document in Indiana classrooms, along with the Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence and more, ensuring their access to students.
But unlike those other documents, the bill stated that principals or teachers may not read the Ten Commandments aloud when students are present.
The bill was moving forward in the House as recently as last week, having cleared a committee vote on Jan. 27. It needed a final vote from all House members on Feb. 2 to move onto the Senate.
That was the deadline for House bills to be voted on before they needed to switch chambers at the halfway point of the legislative session.
It’s possible similar language could come back in the second half of the legislative session in the form of an amendment on another bill, which the House would later have to agree to.
The bill, authored by Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, was already substantially watered down from its initial version, which required all Indiana classrooms and school libraries to have a poster or framed picture of the Ten Commandments hung up.
Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, a co-author of the bill, said once the bill was amended, there was confusion on whether schools already had the authority to display the Ten Commandments.
“There might be redundancies with the bill so I’m not quite sure it’s necessary,” said Prescott, who said he preferred the original bill.
It was cheered by socially conservative groups including the Indiana Family Institute, whose director Ryan McCann previously said the move was a “no-brainer to encourage this kind of morality within public schools.”
Still it drew concerns from Democrats and faith groups who raised concerns about religious freedom.
One Presbyterian minister who testified on the bill, the Rev. Timothy McNinch, said the display of the Ten Commandments in Indiana classrooms is a signal that “those who opt to be unreligious or belong to different faiths are less valued in our state.”
IndyStar First Amendment reporter Cate Charron contributed to this report.
Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com or follow her on X @hayleighcolombo.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ten Commandments bill is dead at Indiana legislature’s halfway point
Reporting by Hayleigh Colombo, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
