Joel Ebert

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

The sponsors of Tennessee’s failed bill to make the Holy Bible the official state book are divided on whether to give the legislation new life.

Sen. Steve Southerland, R-Morristown, said Wednesday he does not plan on bringing back the measure, which Gov. Bill Haslam vetoed last year.

“If the governor is going to veto it, there’s no point in doing it,” Southerland said.

Last April, House members failed to override Haslam's veto, just his fourth since he entered office in 2011.

READ MORE: Gov. Bill Haslam vetoes Bible bill

READ MORE: House fails to override Haslam's Bible bill veto

But the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. Jerry Sexton, R-Bean Station, a former Baptist minister, was not as firm.

During a brief interview, Sexton said he has “not ruled out” the possibility of bringing back the controversial bill. He declined to provide additional information.

Despite Haslam’s veto, House lawmakers spent about two hours debating the bill ahead of an effort to override the governor’s action. The chamber voted 43-50 against the override.

In 2015, when the bill was first introduced, the House passed the measure by a 55-38.

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With 10 new members in the House who weren’t there during the 109th General Assembly, the outcome could very well be different if a bill were introduced again.

The two freshmen Democrats — Dwayne Thompson of Cordova and Rick Staples of Knoxville — previously told The Tennessean they did not support efforts to make the Bible the state’s official book.

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In his veto, Haslam expressed constitutional concerns in addition to saying that the legislation “trivialized the Bible.”

The measure proved controversial. Several organizations, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee praised Haslam for vetoing the bill. Others, including the conservative Liberty Counsel, backed making the Bible the state's official book and promised legal help if Tennessee got sued.

A 2015 poll commissioned by Vanderbilt University found that 60 percent of respondents favored the measure.

Reach Joel Ebert at 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.