Bill Making Bible the State Book Heads to Governor
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Senate voted today to pass SB 1108, the bill making the Bible the official state book of Tennessee.
The measure’s companion bill, HB 615, passed the House last spring.
The measure now heads to Governor Bill Haslam for his signature, despite an attorney general’s opinion that the measure violates both the state and U.S. constitutions.
The following can be attributed to Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the ACLU of Tennessee:
“Today Tennessee politicians have voted to reduce what is to many a sacred religious text to a political football. Lawmakers’ thinly-veiled effort to promote one religion over other religions clearly violates both the United States and Tennessee Constitutions, as our state attorney general has already pointed out. While the Bible is an important book to many state residents, Tennesseans come from a rich diversity of faiths. Privileging one religion over another not only tramples on the Constitution, it marginalizes the tens of thousands of Tennesseans who choose to practice other religions or not to practice religion at all. We call on Governor Haslam to veto this legislation.”
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
The Latest in Religious Liberty
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About Religious Liberty

The ACLU strives to safeguard the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty by ensuring that laws and governmental practices neither promote religion nor interfere with its free exercise.