A bill to place the Ten Commandments in Hoosier public schools cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday — but in a scaled-back form that leaves decisions over whether to display the religious text up to local schools.
House Bill 1086, authored by Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, advanced 8-3 from the House Education Committee in a party-line vote after members amended out earlier language that would have explicitly required display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and school libraries.
The measure now heads to the House floor, with a full chamber vote due by Monday.
The latest draft of the legislation makes display optional and instead adds the Ten Commandments to Indiana’s list of “protected writings” in education law. The designation governs how certain historical documents may be maintained, referenced and displayed in public schools…