Measure to require Ten Commandments in classrooms fails to pass after heated cultural and legal debate

Senate Bill 114, a proposal to require displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school building and classroom, failed to pass on Feb. 5 after a tie vote in committee and heated floor debate about separation of church and state and the statute’s cultural impact on Native students.

Sponsor Senator Phelan framed the bill as an educational measure rooted in Western legal tradition, citing U.S. Supreme Court decisions he said expanded religious liberty. Opponents argued the bill would coerce a particular religious text into public classrooms and raised constitutional concerns and the risk of costly litigation. Senator Weber offered an amendment exempting districts on or near Indian reservations or those with even one Native student; Weber, a senator who identified herself as a survivor of an Indian boarding school experience, said the exemption was necessary because of historical trauma inflicted by forced religious instruction in boarding schools.

A later amendment that would have required posting the Unitarian Universalist Seven Principles alongside the Ten Commandments was proposed as a parity effort and also failed. Throughout debate, senators raised worries about administrative inconsistency in the bill text (the bill both required displays and said districts need not spend funds to purchase displays), potential challenges under federal and state constitutions, and the practical classroom impact of an unavoidable religious display.

Committee and floor disposition: The committee vote on the bill resulted in a 25–25 tie on the floor when the motion to pass was called, and the bill failed to advance; a subsequent motion to indefinitely postpone did not carry a final majority and the bill remained on second reading rather than passing.

Why this matters: The measure raised constitutional and cultural questions about state‑mandated religious expression in schools, drew testimony about historical harms to Native communities, and highlighted how classroom‑level policy can become a flashpoint for broader debates about religion in public life.

Provenance (topic intro/finish): - topicintro evidence: block_id="5487" evidence_excerpt:"Senate bill 114 introduced by Phalen and others. A bill for NAC to entitle NAC requiring the display of the 10 commandments in each public school building and classroom..." (bill title read on the floor) - topfinish evidence: block_id="9512" evidence_excerpt:"With 25 voting aye, 25 voting nay. Make senate bill number 114, it fails to pass." (floor result announced)