A. This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Ten Commandments Monument Display Act”.
B. The State Capitol Preservation Commission or designee is hereby authorized to permit and arrange for the placement on the State Capitol grounds of a suitable monument displaying the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments monument shall use the same words used on the monument at issue in Van Orden v. Perry, that the United States Supreme Court ruled constitutional. This monument shall be designed, constructed, and placed on the Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the State of Oklahoma. The State Capitol Preservation Commission or designee is authorized to assist private entities in selecting a location for the monument and arranging a suitable time for its placement.
C. In the event that the legality or constitutionality of the Ten Commandments monument is challenged in a court of law, the Oklahoma Attorney General or Liberty Legal Institute is hereby authorized to prepare and present a legal defense of the monument.
D. The placement of this monument shall not be construed to mean that the State of Oklahoma favors any particular religion or denomination thereof over others, but rather will be placed on the Capitol grounds where there are numerous other monuments.
Added by Laws 2009, c. 204, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2009.