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Committee approves bill requiring 10 Commandments to be displayed alongside national motto after heated public testimony
Summary
Senate Bill 433 would add the Ten Commandments to the state's National Motto Display Act. Proponents cited history and tradition; opponents — including clergy and civil‑liberties groups — warned the mandate crosses the line into state‑endorsed religion. The committee voted to pass the bill.
Senate Bill 433, sponsored in the House by Representative Alyssa Brown and carried by Senator Jim Dotson in the Senate, would expand Arkansas’s National Motto Display Act to require a durable, framed copy of the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms and other government buildings alongside the national motto.
Supporters argued the Ten Commandments are part of the nation’s historical and legal tradition and cited early American primers, McGuffey readers and other historical sources showing the commandments’ presence in public education for centuries. Timothy Barton of WallBuilders and a counsel from First Liberty Institute presented a legal argument that recent U.S. Supreme Court opinions prioritize history and tradition in establishment‑clause analysis.
Opponents — including reverend Britney Stilwell (Second Baptist Church, Little Rock), Reverend David Freeman (First United Methodist Church, Little Rock), Joshua Irby (private citizen) and Holly Dixon (Arkansas ACLU) — urged the committee to reject a state mandate that all classrooms post a religious text. Witnesses warned that the measure forces a religious display on a captive audience in public schools and risks litigation. Dixon noted an ongoing challenge over a similar monument on the State Capitol grounds and cautioned the bill could prompt widespread court challenges and cost for school districts.
Committee members debated whether the display is a historical, civic item or an endorsement of religion. Senator Dodson and Representative Rose argued historical uses across courts and public buildings weigh in favor of allowing the display; Representative Collins and others raised establishment‑clause and coercion concerns. Representative Brown offered to pull an amendment but ultimately asked the committee to vote on the bill as filed. After extended public comment and member questions, the committee approved the measure to pass.
