The Arkansas Senate has voted to allow a display of the Ten Commandments near the state Capitol, with the lawmaker behind the idea calling the monument a nod to history.
The bill approved by a 27-3 vote Wednesday would allow a privately funded monument to the commandments built on the Capitol grounds, with its design and location approved by the secretary of state. The measure now heads to the House.
Republican Sen. Jason Rapert has said the monument would commemorate the role the commandments have played in the nation's legal system. Opponents have said the monument amounts to a state endorsement of religion and would be unconstitutional.
