A new bill, House Bill 71, has passed in the Louisiana state House of Representatives with a 79-16 vote and is now awaiting approval from Republican Governor Jeff Landry. If signed into law, this bill would mandate that all classrooms in schools receiving state funding, from kindergarten through university level, display the Ten Commandments on a poster or framed document measuring at least eleven inches by fourteen inches. The text of the Ten Commandments must be the central focus of the display and printed in a large, easily readable font.
Republican state Rep. Dodie Horton, the sponsor of the bill, argues that the display of the Ten Commandments is rooted in legal history and would provide a moral code in the classroom. However, opponents, including Democrats and various civil liberties organizations, have raised concerns that such a requirement could violate the establishment clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits the government from establishing a religion.
