NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Will the third time be the charm?
A Tennessee state lawmaker has reintroduced legislation to make the Holy Bible the official state book.
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House Joint Resolution 150 is the third attempt by Rep. Jerry Sexton, R-Bean Station, to do so.
Sexton first introduced the proposal in 2015, but after winning the approval of the General Assembly, it earned a veto by Gov. Bill Haslam. He reintroduced the measure last year but the legislative session ended without lawmakers voting on it, according to KXAN.com.
The new resolution has been referred to the House Naming and Designating Committee.
In it, Sexton mentions the role family Bibles have played in record keeping and that several Bible publishers are headquartered in Nashville.
“The Holy Bible has great historical and cultural significance in the State of Tennessee as a record of the history of Tennessee families that predates some modern vital statistical records,” Sexton said in the resolution. “Families recorded their own vital records in family Bibles that were passed down through the generations.”
Two other states have tried and failed to get the Bible designated as their state book: Louisiana in 2014 and Mississippi in 2015.