At 2 a.m., they napped on benches in the Capitol corridors, blankets in tow and armed with snacks in anticipation of the long wait. At 5 a.m. they ordered coffee and hot chocolate — to stay awake, and to stay warm in the frigid hearing room.
Early Wednesday, a couple of dozen Texans who had waited nearly 20 hours to testify on a bill to require classrooms to post the Ten Commandments gathered in the hearing room to share their views. Most were there in opposition to the bill, Senate Bill 10, which requires every public K-12 classroom to display a poster or framed copy of the Biblical code of ethics that’s at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall.
As dawn broke, Alexander Shawver — one of the last people to testify — implored committee members to vote against the bill.
