Monuments to the Ten Commandments and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. would be placed on the state Capitol’s grounds under legislation approved Monday in the state House.
House Bill 702, by Rep. Greg Morris, R-Vidalia, calls for a monument that features the Ten Commandments, along with portions of the Declaration of Independence and Georgia Constitution. It would be paid for with private funds. The bill passed 138-37 and goes to the Senate.
House Bill 1080, by Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, would likewise allow for a privately funded monument to King, the legendary civil rights leader from Atlanta. It passed 173-3.
Morris said he was moved to introduce the Ten Commandments bill after Gov. Nathan Deal had a statue of Tom Watson, a former U.S. senator and segregationist, moved from in front of the Capitol. Deal said the move was a safety issue as renovations are being done to the Capitol’s western steps.
Rep. Roger Bruce, D-Atlanta, asked Morris whether people of other faiths would be free to have a monument on the Capitol's grounds. Morris said it would be possible.
On the MLK bill, Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, noted that every other monument on the Capitol's grounds is to a Georgian who held elected office. King never served as an elected official, Benton said.
Smyre said “no one is more deserving than Dr. King,” calling him “a giant of a man” who won the Nobel Peace Prize and has a national holiday in his honor.
Benton voted no, as did Reps. Charles Gregory, R-Kennesaw, and Sam Moore, R-Macedonia.
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