Bill Encouraging Tennessee Schools To Display 10 Commandments Will Become Law

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

A bill that would allow local school boards and governing bodies of charter schools to showcase foundational U.S documents and the Ten Commandments officially passed both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly on the last day of the 2026 legislative session.

HB0047 by Rep. Michael Hale is permissive, meaning no school would be required to display the documents, but encourages the display of the Ten Commandments, Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, Bill of Rights, Constitution of Tennessee, a resolution honoring the history of the school, “or any other historically significant documents in a prominent location of each school building.”

Democrats consistently attacked the legislation as violation of the often misunderstood and misapplied “separation of church and state” principle, but bill sponsors in both chambers contended that the display of the Ten Commandments is not forcing religion on anyone but is highlighting their historical significance in helping to shape the other founding documents of this nation. 

“We are saying in the foundation of this nation, the Ten Commandments was one of the founding documents, one of the founding guidance that our forefathers put into this nation,” Senate sponsor Mark Pody previously said of the bill.

Though the legislation initially passed the House in February and Senate in March, because each chamber passed their version containing different language and could not agree on the amendments, a conference committee comprised of members from both chambers had to be appointed so lawmakers could have discussion and decide on one final version of the bill. 

The conference committee was originally appointed on April 14 in the House and April 16 in the Senate but remained unable to meet until the very last day of the legislative session since members had conflicting schedules as the Assembly headed into its busiest and often most hectic portion of the year.

During the conference committee meeting on Thursday, April 23, Sen. Pody made his case for the specific language found in his amendment as he was advised by parties willing to defend the legislation that they needed certain wording in case the bill ever wound up in court. 

“Unless we can work through this, I’m just going to send it back to Calendar [committee]. It’s that blunt. I can’t have attorneys that are willing to come in from the outside to help defend something, we could potentially have the Attorney General defend something as well, but the point is this has already been litigated in several states already, they’re saying here’s the language we need in order to defend it,” Pody said. 

Sending the bill back to the calendar would have essentially killed the legislation and indicated his strong belief about the necessity of his proposed language.

Rep. Hale mentioned that while the other states who have seen litigation over their Ten Commandment bills made theirs a requirement, this bill is purely permissive, a factor he believed would help avoid any potential legal issues. Notably, a federal Court of Appeals just ruled in favor of Texas’ display requirement, overruling a preliminary injunction issued by a federal district court judge back in November, and a similar scenario was seen in Louisiana in February.

Committee member Rep. Jason Zachary agreed with Hale, saying the body should not lean too much on opinions of outside lawyers. “Rep. Hale was the lead on this; this is his legislation. I guess I’m just confused as to why you’re saying you’re not even going to put it up for a vote based on what an attorney in Texas is saying versus having the faith in our AG. If we pass a piece of legislation, Supreme Court precedent is already being turned, why we’re not going to trust him to defend it.”

After additional back and forth, ultimately members came to an agreement which did not significantly alter the intent and application of the bill, and each chamber adopted the compromises mainly along party lines. With the language finally set and passed, HB0047 can proceed to Gov. Bill Lee for signature into law.

About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.