NASHVILLE, Tenn. — State lawmakers introduced a bill that would ask the governor to submit a new design of the state seal to be approved, making sure that the new seal includes "In God We Trust."
SB 0420 was introduced by Senator Rusty Crowe (R - Johnson City) and would ask the governor to submit the design by July 1, 2025. Lawmakers would need to approve the new design before it would become the new state seal.
It passed the state Senate and House of Representatives. It passes unanimously in the Senate and 74-18 in the House.
The state seal currently includes the words "agriculture" and "commerce" along with depictions of each word. It also includes "The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee" in a circle surrounding the depictions, as well as the roman numerals "XVI." They are meant to indicate Tennessee was the 16th state to join the U.S.
According to the Secretary of State's office, the state seal was first delivered to Governor Archibald Roane in April 1802 and a state seal was used for the first time that year. It was edited in 1829, according to the office.
It was also not officially in use from 1865 through 1869, immediately following the Civil War. During this time, they said there is evidence that two seals were in use simultaneously. The seal now in use is the larger of the two, they said.
It was officially adopted in 1987, according to the Secretary of State's office.