We're seeing national and state level pushes to hang the Ten Commandments and schools.

And today, the House Committee on State Government heard a resolution to restore a granite monument of the Ten Commandments to the Capitol in Frankfort.

The monument was a gift from the Fraternal Order of Eagles back in 1971.

As our McKenzie Spink explains, proponents say it deserves to return home.

For supporters of House Joint Resolution 15, returning a monument of the Ten Commandments to Capitol grounds is about history.

History is a very important thing.

It tells where we where we were, where we've come from.

It defines who we are.

In 1971, the Fraternal Order of Eagles donated the Granite Monument in question to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

It looks much like the one pictured here, which currently sits at the Texas State Capitol.

Kentucky's monument was displayed beside the iconic floral clock until the 1980s, when it was removed not because of a controversy but a construction project.

When the monument was brought out of storage again nearly 20 years later.

It was challenged in court and did not pass the legal test.

Lemon v Kurtzman.

So it returned to the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Lemond versus Kurtzman case back in 71.

Essentially, it's set up a test, a three pronged test for the most part.

That said, a government action in this context must have a secular purpose.

Secondly, it cannot either inhibit nor prohibit religion.

And third, you can't entangle government with religion any more than necessary.

However, a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case upholding the right of a football coach to pray privately on the field deemed the Lemon test void for all consideration purposes, opening the door to restore the Ten Commandments monument to Kentucky's Capitol grounds.

With that change in the Kennedy case, the new standard for looking at this type of context and the Ten Commandments involvement with the government, it really becomes an analysis of what's the historical understandings and traditions rather than what's your purpose.

And I think the resolution sets that forward.

Opponents of the resolution conceded the historical significance of the monument, but raised concerns about the separation of church and state.

Representative and Don Wirth, who passed on the resolution, felt there was a way forward with the measure.

If monuments of other faiths could be represented similarly at the Capitol, I as a history major, I'm very much in support of showcasing the history.

I think we also need to have as many ethical reminders as we can.

That said, I would like to work with you, Representative Baker, to see if we can reach an agreement about a floor amendment to make sure that people of other faiths are able to see themselves represented on our Capitol grounds as well.

Representative Jason Petri, an attorney by trade, responded that while he was open to amendments, new monuments without historical significance would have a hard time qualifying under the newer Kennedy precedents.

The resolution passed favorably and next heads to the House floor.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Mackenzie Spink.