Tennessee House approves bill making Bible official state book

The Tennessee House of Representatives voted Wednesday 55-38 in favor of a bill making the Bible the official state book despite objections from top Republicans in the state. 

“History’s going to tell us where we stand on this. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to have the side that I’m on,” Rep. Jerry Sexton (R), the bill’s author and a former pastor, said after the bill’s passing.

{mosads}Lawmakers in the Volunteer State approved the controversial measure despite a letter from Attorney General Herbert Slatery cautioning that such an action would violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing the separation of church and state. 

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris has already expressed his desire to see it die.

“I sure hope it won’t pass. I think it’ll be a dark day for Tennessee if it does,” Norris told The Tennessean.

Other top GOP officials, including state House Speaker Beth Harwell and state Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, also oppose the measure. 

Tennessee governor Bill Haslam has yet to say whether he will veto the bill, but denied a claim that he would allow the measure to become a law without his signature.