By Journalist Gabriela Dimova (ORU)
The beginning of the legislative session started off with a light joke bill. However, towards the end, Representative Buris (ORU) presented a legislation piece implementing core values from the 10 commandments into the public school system.
Representative Buris said, “The ultimate goal of this bill is to require public schools to implement an ethics and morals class using the 10 commandments as foundational values.”
This statement alone shook the body, and immediately there were more than 20 names on the list for questions. Representative Buris held her poise with a calm matter and answered the questions. However, time ran out, and not all were answered or amendments heard. The House seemed eager to debate the beliefs and wording of the bill.
Representative Baughman (SE), during the debate, said, “These are all moral grounds that need to be brought back into schools.”
The pro-opponency debater, Representative Jones (ORU), “The reason of there only being 7 commandments and not 10 is for the purpose of not forcing Christian values amongst the schools.”
The opponency side said, “How would this infringe on teachers who are not practicing Christians?”
This heated debate that considered religious freedom and the intent behind the bill stirred the House for well over an hour. Representative Burris’s piece failed at an 11-40 vote.
The House asking Representative Burris questions
Debaters preparing