TLRC position
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2026 · Education · Government
Allow local school boards and charter schools to display Ten Commandments, Declaration, U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions, and Bill of Rights.
HB 0047 / SB 0303
Bill description
Allow local school boards and charter schools to display Ten Commandments, Declaration, U.S. and Tennessee Constitutions, and Bill of Rights.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to the display of historical documents.
Bill sponsors
House co-sponsors · 37
Tandy Darby R, Jerome Moon R, Kevin Raper R, Rusty Grills R, Tim Hicks R, Tom Stinnett R, David Hawk R, Paul Sherrell R, William Slater R, Greg Martin R, Dave Wright R, Clay Doggett R, Rick Eldridge R, Chris Todd R, Susan Lynn R, Elaine Davis R, Mary Littleton R, Michele Reneau R, Jake McCalmon R, Todd Warner R, Bud Hulsey R, Ed Butler R, Timothy Hill R, Jody Barrett R, Monty Fritts R, Mike Sparks R, Lee Reeves R, Jason Zachary R, Tim Rudd R, Gino Bulso R, Rush Bricken R, Kip Capley R, Kelly Keisling R, Justin Lafferty R, Aron Maberry R, Johnny Garrett R, Dennis Powers R
Senate co-sponsors · 13
Rusty Crowe R, Paul Bailey R, Janice Bowling R, Todd Gardenhire R, Tom Hatcher R, Joey Hensley R, Ed Jackson R, Adam Lowe R, Paul Rose R, Jessie Seal R, Steve Southerland R, John Stevens R, Dawn White R
TLRC statement
HB0047 authorizes local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies in Tennessee to permit schools to display certain historical documents — expressly the Ten Commandments, the first sentence of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution — in a prominent location in each school building. The fiscal note expands the list to include the U.S. Constitution, the Tennessee Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other historically significant documents or a resolution honoring a school’s history. Importantly, the statute is permissive: it allows local authorities to adopt displays, it does not require any school to do so, and it carries no new funding or bureaucratic apparatus.
From a conservative, originalist perspective this bill advances local control and permits public recognition of the nation’s founding texts and the Judeo‑Christian moral heritage without creating a statewide mandate. That is consistent with subsidiarity — decisions are made by local boards and charter governing bodies closest to parents and communities. The chief practical concern is legal risk: mandatory displays of the Ten Commandments have been struck down in past cases (e.g., Stone v. Graham), so implementation will need careful framing (historic/secular context, inclusive display of founding documents) to reduce the risk of Establishment Clause litigation.