Requires school districts to display the Ten Commandments in each building and classroom in the school district

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 1612
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENT A TIVE BILLINGT ON.
51 10H.01I JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 171, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the T en
Commandments in schools.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 171, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 171.022, to read as follows:
171.022. 1. As used in this section, "T en Commandments" means the following
2 text:
3 "The T en Commandments
4 I AM the LORD thy God.
5 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
6 Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images.
7 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day , to keep it holy .
9 Honor thy father and thy mother , that thy days may be long upon the land which
10 the Lord thy God giveth thee.
11 Thou shalt not kill.
12 Thou shalt not commit adultery .
13 Thou shalt not steal.
14 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor .
15 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
16 wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy
17 neighbor's.".
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
18 2. Beginning on January 1, 2027, each school district's school board and charter
19 school's governing board shall display the T en Commandments in each building and
20 classr oom under the school board's or governing board's jurisdiction, subject to at least
21 the following r equir ements:
22 (1) The natur e of such display shall be determined by each school board and
23 governing board;
24 (2) Such display shall be composed of, at a minimum, a poster or framed
25 document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches; and
26 (3) The text of the T en Commandments shall be the central focus of the poster or
27 framed document and shall be printed in a large, easily rea dable font.
28 3. (1) A school board or governing board may spend the board's moneys or
29 donated moneys to pur chase the displays.
30 (2) A school board or governing board may accept donated displays.
31 (3) This section shall not be construed to requ ire a school board or governing
32 board to spend the board's moneys to pur chase displays.
33 4. The state board of education may promulg ate all necessary rules and
34 r egulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that
35 term is defined in section 536.010, that is creat ed under the authority delegated in this
36 section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the
37 pr ovisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter
38 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly
39 pursuant to chapter 536 to revi ew , to delay the effective date, or to disappr ove and annul
40 a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority
41 and any rule pr oposed or adopted after the effective date of this section shall be invalid
42 and void.
✔
HB 1612 2