King said during a committee hearing earlier this month that the Ten Commandments are part of American heritage and itโ€™s time to bring them back into the classroom. He said the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for his bill after it sided with Joe Kennedy, a high school football coach in Washington state who was fired for praying at football games. The court ruled that was praying as a private citizen, not as an employee of the district.

โ€œ[The bill] will remind students all across Texas of the importance of the fundamental foundation of America,โ€ King said during that hearing.

The Senate also gave final passage to Senate Bill 1396, authored by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, which would allow public and charter schools to adopt a policy requiring every campus to set aside a time for students and employees to read the Bible or other religious texts and to pray.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement that both bills are wins for religious freedom in Texas.

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โ€œI should have the right to introduce my daughter to the concepts of adultery and coveting one’s spouse,โ€ Litzler said. โ€œIt shouldnโ€™t be one of the first things she learns to read in her kindergarten classroom.โ€

This article was written by BRIAN LOPEZ of The Texas Tribune.ย  The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans โ€” and engages with them โ€“ about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.ย  This article originally appeared at:https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/20/texas-senate-passes-ten-commandments-bill/