Contentious debate as committee advances 'Charlie Kirk Day' despite calls to table the bill

Representative Bulso introduced HB 1480 to designate September 10 as Charlie Kirk Day following Kirk's death and described him as someone who "engaged young people on college campuses in civil discourse." Representative Dixie moved to table the bill, calling Kirk "very divisive" and asserting past comments that, in Dixie's view, merited removing the proposal from consideration.

Dixie said he was "pretty sure [Kirk] said that if he saw a black pilot on a plane he would wonder if they were qualified," and urged the committee to send the bill to the table. The motion to table failed on a 3‑6 vote. Representative Jones then delivered an extended critique, reading multiple quotes and statements attributed to Kirk — including a 2024 remark about Leviticus and statements described as denigrating Martin Luther King Jr. — and called the resolution "theological malpractice." Chairman Bolesow and others defended Kirk as a figure who prompted debate and said the bill recognized his engagement with young people.

After further exchanges, a previous‑question motion passed 7‑3 and the bill was forwarded to State and Local Government with a positive recommendation. The exchange included sustained accusations and rebuttals; members directly quoted or summarized Kirk's past statements and repeatedly clashed over whether honoring him was appropriate. The committee recorded votes: the motion to table failed (3 ayes, 6 nays) and the final procedural votes carried in favor of moving the bill forward.