NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A proposal to amend the state constitution to say that God is the source of Tennesseans’ liberties has failed in the House.

The measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Micah Van Huss of Jonesborough received a 3-3 vote in the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday. Measures need a majority vote to advance.

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The proposed addition to the Tennessee Constitution would have read: “We recognize that our liberties do not come from governments, but from almighty God.”

Amending the state constitution is a lengthy process in Tennessee. Proposed changes must pass by a majority in both chambers during one two-year General Assembly, and then pass by at last two-thirds of the vote in the next. To amendment would then go before the voters in the year of the next gubernatorial election.

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