State Government - State House Trust - Ten Commandments Monument Display Act
HB 67 would require a Ten Commandments monument to be placed on the grounds of the Maryland State House. The bill directs that the monument contain the full text of the Ten Commandments and assigns the Commission on Artistic Property responsibility for overseeing its care and maintenance once installed. It also creates a temporary Commission on the Ten Commandments Monument to manage design, construction, site selection, and placement of the monument, with the goal of having a private entity fund and install it at no cost to the State.
The bill also makes related changes to Maryland’s State Government provisions governing the Commission on Artistic Property, which already serves as custodian of certain state-owned art and decorative objects. Under the bill, that commission would have authority over the monument after placement, and the new commission would expire after completing its work, with its statutory authority set to sunset in 2029. The bill includes language stating that the monument should not be construed as favoring any particular religion or denomination, and it contemplates legal defense of the monument if challenged in court.
If enacted, the bill would add a new state-sanctioned religious/historical display to the Maryland State House grounds and create a temporary administrative structure to implement it. It would affect the duties of the Commission on Artistic Property, the Department of Planning’s historical and cultural programs staff, the Governor, and legislative appointees to the new commission. The bill would also create a framework for private funding, design approval, site selection, and potential legal defense of the monument, while leaving the monument’s long-term maintenance to existing state art-custody mechanisms.
Based on the bill text, the measure is presented in strongly supportive terms, emphasizing the Ten Commandments as a foundation of law, civic morality, and historical tradition. The preamble relies on U.S. Supreme Court precedent to argue that such a display is permissible on government property and frames the monument as educational and historically significant rather than devotional. No committee testimony, votes, or recorded debate were provided, so there is no documented legislative opposition or support beyond the bill’s own framing.
The main point of contention is likely to be whether placing a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the State House violates the Establishment Clause or otherwise improperly endorses religion. The bill anticipates that challenge by stating the monument should not be construed as favoring any religion and by authorizing the Attorney General, or a nonprofit First Amendment-focused legal organization, to defend it in court. Another likely issue is the use of public property for a religiously associated monument, even though the bill specifies private funding for construction and installation. No recorded committee discussion or vote history is available to identify specific legislators or outside groups taking positions.