By Daniel Stefanski |
A Republican State Senator is speaking out against the Arizona governor’s decision to veto one of his education-related bills.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB 1151, which would have allowed state teachers or administrators in all schools to “read or post copies or excerpts of the Ten Commandments.”
Hobbs, in a veto letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, explained that she had “serious concerns about the constitutionality of this legislation,” adding that she also felt it “is also unnecessary.”
The sponsor of the bill, Senator Anthony Kern, expressed his outrage over the governor’s action, writing, “I’m appalled the state’s top elected official is abandoning God and the very foundation our country was built upon by not allowing teachers to expose their students to the morals and ethics outlined in the Ten Commandments. When you look at some of the garbage being forced on our children in the classroom, it’s no wonder rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among youth are at their highest levels ever recorded. When children are exposed to good, noble, honest, and righteous ideas, they are more prone to being better human beings with sound character, able to navigate life’s problems with grace, and have a greater chance of treating each other with respect and dignity throughout life. Sadly, Katie Hobbs’ veto is a prime example of Democrats’ efforts to push state-sponsored atheism while robbing Arizona’s children of the opportunity to flourish with a healthy moral compass.”
On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, the proposal drew a significant amount of opposition, including representatives from the Arizona Association of County School Superintendents, Arizona Education Association, American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Save Our Schools Arizona, Arizona School Boards Association, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
SB 1151 had first passed the State Senate in February with a 16-12 vote (with two members not voting), before being approved in the State House earlier this month with a 31-28 tally (with one member not voting).
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
