This is House Joint Resolution 15, and it has passed both the House and Senate by overwhelming margins. The Senate vote was 32-6, the House vote 79-13.
The Ten Commandments were first displayed at the Kentucky capitol in 1971. The monument was later removed after legal challenges.
David Walls, the director of the Family Foundation of Kentucky, said his team is excited to see the legislation progress.
“That resolution will now go to the governor. We are encouraging our governor to sign that resolution, but if he was to veto it, the General Assembly would have an opportunity later this month to override his veto,” Walls said.
There’s no indication which way Democrat Andy Beshear, shown with drag queens above, is leaning.
“With the continued movement of the Supreme Court to recognize a better understanding of religious freedom and a proper understanding of the First Amendment, particularly with the Coach (Joe) Kennedy decision a couple of years ago, there's been an effort to restore some of these 10 Commandments monuments,” Walls said.
The monuments have historical significance in the U.S. in general, the Commonwealth of Kentucky in particular, he said.
The monument currently sits in a field in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, about three hours southwest of the capital in Frankfort.
There are plans for the Ten Commandments beyond a capitol display, Walls said.
“Looking hopefully to next legislative session, we will be advocating to see if we can get the 10 Commandments restored to being displayed in the classroom and in our schools as well. We’re committed to seeing a restoration of a proper understanding of our history. Certainly our religious freedom and religious liberty rights play a foundational role in our country and in our Commonwealth.”
