Ten Commandments bill halted

A bill that could have allowed the Ten Commandments on government property was quietly pulled from consideration Thursday, severely hurting its chances to become law.

House Bill 2177 was on the Senate agenda, but Floor Leader Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, announced that it wouldn’t be heard before moving on to other business. House bills must be heard in the Senate by the end of business Thursday.

The bill drew interest because it stated the Ten Commandments, along with the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the U.S. and Oklahoma Constitutions, should be “displayed proudly and resolutely in public buildings and on public grounds.”

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that the Ten Commandments could not be displayed at the Capitol building because the Oklahoma Constitution forbids the use of public resources for religious purposes. Because of that ruling, a monument had to be moved to private property.

If House Bill 2177 had become law, it would have authorized replicas of the documents to be displayed by any county, municipality, city, town, school or any other political subdivision.

It also would have given Oklahoma’s attorney general the authority to defend any display in the event of a legal challenge.

The bill doesn’t explicitly mention the Oklahoma Capitol or any state government entity.