Days after Louisiana compelled all public schools and institutions to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) promised to pass a similar bill in the Texas Senate during the next legislative session.
In a post on social media site X, Patrick chastised Texas state House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) for scrapping a state Senate bill that would have compelled the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools, vowing to reinstate it.
“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,” Patrick said of X.
During the past legislative session, the Texas Senate passed S.B. 1515, which would have forced the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every Texas public elementary and secondary school. Patrick serves as president of the state Senate in his capacity as lieutenant governor.
The bill passed the Texas Senate on political lines last session, with Democrats blasting it for “insulting non-Christian Texans.”
The bill was approved by a House committee, but it did not make it to the state House floor, preventing it from being passed.
In his statements, Patrick blamed Phelan for what occurred. The two have been battling since Phelan presided over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s House impeachment proceedings earlier this year, and both Patrick and Paxton supported a primary challenger against Phelan.
“Texas WOULD have been and SHOULD have been the first state in the nation to put the 10 Commandments back in our schools,” Patrick stated in reference to X. “But, SPEAKER Dade Phelan killed the bill by letting it languish in committee for a month assuring it would never have time for a vote on the floor.”
“This was inexcusable and unacceptable.” “Putting the Ten Commandments back in our schools was clearly not a priority for Dade Phelan,” he added.
Phelan did not return a request for comment.
The Texas Legislature meets for normal sessions for about five months every odd year, so the Ten Commandments legislation might be considered next summer unless the governor calls a special session sooner.
Oklahoma and Utah have already explored similar laws.
Earlier this week, Louisiana became the first state in the country to demand that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom beginning next school year. The law in Louisiana refers to the Ten Commandments as a “foundational document of our state and national government.”
However, the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights organizations, including Americans United for Separation of Church and State, have declared that this statute is unconstitutional, claiming that it violates prohibitions against government-imposed religion thehill reported.
Former President Donald Trump praised Louisiana’s decision, writing on Truth Social that he “LOVES[s] THE TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, AND MANY OTHER PLACES, FOR THAT MATTER.”
The White House and the Department of Education have not responded to requests for comment on the matter, and President Biden has not addressed it publicly.
