Texas Senate bill by Sen. King mandates Ten Commandments display in public schools

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Phil King seeks to require public elementary and secondary schools in Texas to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in each classroom, aiming to establish a consistent educational environment, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, one Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 10 Democrats opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, four Democrats and 78 Republicans voted in favor, while 46 Democrats voted against it.

Phil King introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Monday, Feb. 10, during the 89th regular legislative session.

King graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 1981 with a BA and again in 1993 from Texas A&M University School of Law with a JD.

King, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 10th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Beverly Powell.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that public elementary and secondary schools in Texas display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in a conspicuous place in each classroom. The display must feature the text of the Ten Commandments in a legible size and typeface, with dimensions of at least 16 inches by 20 inches. Schools must accept privately donated displays that meet these standards, although they are not required to buy them with district funds. The act applies to the 2025-26 school year and will take effect immediately if approved by a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses; otherwise, it takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Donna Campbell (Republican – District 25), Sen. Kelly Hancock (Republican – District 9), and Sen. Charles Schwertner (Republican – District 5), along with 16 other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.