The South Dakota Senate voted 18-17 on Tuesday at the Capitol to advance a bill mandating public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom and teach their historical significance. The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives.

A bill requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in all public South Dakota classrooms passed the Senate with a 18-17 vote. Senate Bill 51 would require every classroom in the state to display the Ten Commandments on a poster no smaller than eight by 14 inches.

First-term Republican Sen. John Carley of Piedmont brought Senate Bill 51, which is similar to legislation that’s popped up in North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Louisiana in particular has a new law requiring schools to post the Ten Commandments, but that’s been stopped by a lower court.

A committee of South Dakota lawmakers voted 4-3 to endorse a bill Thursday in Pierre that would require public school districts to teach the Ten Commandments and display them in every classroom. The vote came after an hour of testimony that included opposition from public school groups. The legislation now heads to the full state Senate.

A bill that would make it mandatory for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in publicly funded elementary, middle and high schools passed out of the state Senate in a razor-thin vote on Tuesday. South Dakota Senators advanced SB 51 on an 18-17 vote.

Legislation has been introduced for the 2025 regular session of the General Assembly by Rep. Richard White, R-Morehead, that would allow the Ten Commandments to