Idaho Governor C. L. "Butch" Otter has vetoed a bill that would have allowed Bibles and other religious texts to be used in public school classrooms.
In his veto, Otter said the bill violated the Idaho Constitution. Specifically article IX, section six which states:
RELIGIOUS TEST AND TEACHING IN SCHOOL PROHIBITED. No religious test or qualification shall ever be required of any person as a condition of admission into any public educational institution of the state, either as teacher or student; and no teacher or student of any such institution shall ever be required to attend or participate in any religious service whatever. No sectarian or religious tenets or doctrines shall ever be taught in the public schools, nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color. No books, papers, tracts or documents of a political, sectarian or denominational character shall be used or introduced in any schools established under the provisions of this article, nor shall any teacher or any district receive any of the public school moneys in which the schools have not been taught in accordance with the provisions of this article.
Otter continued, saying he has respect for the Bible but fears enacting the bill would jeopardize federal funding and leave the state open to lawsuits.
