INDIANAPOLIS—On Monday, Senate Bill 11 passed second reading. SB 11 would allow documents with acknowledged religious history to be displayed on state grounds, accompanied by a document referencing the role religion plays in American history. Senator Yoder (D-Bloomington) offered Amendment 2, which would strike the requirement that the religious explanation be displayed alongside the document. Yoder offered the following statement:

“I am glad that this language was added into SB 11. State properties should have the flexibility and freedom to contextualize these documents as they choose. Finding a balance between the contextualization and endorsement of history can be difficult, and our local state property managers know best how to inform their surrounding communities. I’m happy to see this power returned to localities.”