BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Gov. John Bel Edwards has agreed to require Louisiana public schools to display "In God We Trust" in their buildings.
The governor’s office announced Tuesday that it had signed Sen. Regina Barrow’s bill into law. Schools will have to fulfill the requirements by the 2019-20 school year.
Barrow’s bill also requires the schools to teach students about the motto.
During a legislative hearing on the measure, Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, said she sponsored the bill because she thinks "it’s really important that young people understand the patriotic history" of the country.
The bill easily sailed through the House and Senate with no opposition during the regular session that ended last month.
The Legislature projected "there will be no material impact of local school districts in order to meet the display requirements of the proposed legislation," accorrding to the bill’s fiscal notes. The schools will be required at minimum to use a paper sign displaying the motto, so "minimal costs will be incurred."
