A bill seeking to prevent ideologically-based book bans is on its way toward a full vote on the House floor after it passed the House Education Committee on a 7-4 vote Monday.
HB 27, the Librarian Protection Act seeks to ban certain types of book bans while keeping the ability challenge materials a patron finds inappropriate.
“[HB 27] is a simple bill saying, ‘We want you to continue to do what you’re already doing in public libraries, and we’re making sure that you do not… break what is already written in process,’” Rep. Kathleen Cates, D-Rio Rancho, said.
The bill aims to prevent public libraries from receiving funding if they do not adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights which includes a requirement that library materials cannot be removed due to partisan or doctrinal disapproval based on the author’s race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation or political or religious views.
“The bill clarifies that it is not intended to curtail the right of individuals to challenge library materials. ‘Ban’ means the removal of library materials. ‘Challenge’ means the attempt to remove said materials,” the bill’s Fiscal Impact Report states.