OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House has given final passage to legislation that authorizes a monument to display the Ten Commandments at the State Capitol.
House members approved the bill 83-2 Thursday. It now goes to Gov. Brad Henry for his signature.
The bill by Rep. Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow authorizes installation of a 3-by-6-foot monument on the Capitol grounds. It would be similar to a granite monument of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
That monument was challenged in a lawsuit that alleged it violated the First Amendment’s prohibition against establishing a state religion. But courts have ruled it is not unconstitutional.
Ritze has said his family will pay the estimated $10,000 cost of the project.
