Committee approves bill requiring weekly presentation of national anthem in K-12 schools

The State Government Committee approved SB13, presented to the committee by Representative Moody on behalf of Sen. Allen, requiring local school systems to ensure the national anthem is presented once a week in K–12 schools.

Supporters said the measure is intended to provide students repeated exposure to the national anthem and related civic education. Representative Moody, speaking for Sen. Allen, said the bill "would require that local, school systems set up and come up with their plan for how once a week the national anthem of our country would be presented in the school. It could be by record recording for the first verse."

The bill leaves implementation details to local boards. Representative Moody told the committee the statute would require the weekly presentation but "the local board of education [would select] how things are done." The proposal applies to K–12 schools and, as described in the hearing, allows recorded presentations of the first verse.

Members debated whether the requirement is necessary and how it fits into the school day. Representative Lance said she supported the anthem but worried about adding more to students' schedules, asking the committee for a "moment of quiet" for students amid many daily distractions. Representative Boyd questioned the need for a statewide mandate when local boards already oversee school programming and noted her own experience with other patriotic and historical songs during her time in education.

The committee took a voice vote. The chair called "All in favor, say aye," and following a voiced objection from one member, the chair declared the bill passed. The transcript records one member saying "I do" during the voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded for SB13 in the transcript.