A bevy of competing book ban bills to govern how libraries respond to requests for removing books have made little progress in the legislature, despite months of build up and organizing by the sponsors.

As promised, State Sen. Anthony “Ant” Thornton (R- East Mountains) introduced Senate Bill 49, a pilot project for a content-based library book rating system. The bill contrasts with competing legislation from a trio of Democrats that would leave decisions to librarians.

Senate Bill 65 is primarily sponsored by Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque), with Sen. Harold Pope (D-Westside Albuquerque) and Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Corrales, Rio Rancho) as co-sponsors. The bill would restrict challenges to enrolled students or their parents, bar discrimination based on race, gender identity, religion or tribal affiliation. Staff members would be protected before a final decision.

Sedillo Lopez said in a statement to NM Political Report that the bill protects school librarians’ jobs and limits who can request book removal to only enrolled students or their parents. She added that school boards would be required to develop policies that comply with either the state or U.S. Constitution.

In the statement, Sedillo Lopez noted that librarians around the state have been the targets of a growing number of book challenges. She cited the Coalition of Conservatives in Action, which compiled a list of 95 books it found “inappropriate” and lodged challenges in Las Cruces Public Schools.

Both bills are currently stuck in committee while leaders decide whether they are germane to the session’s agenda. Under the state Constitution, only budget items and measures added by the governor can move forward, and so far, the governor has not included book or library policies on the agenda.

The three Democratic lawmakers wrote in an October column for the New Mexico Political Report that the bill protects the freedom to read and prevents book banning. The legislation stands in contrast to another proposal from Sen. Anthony “Ant” Thornton, who seeks to create a content-based rating system for school library books. Thornton argued in a separate opinion piece that rating systems are a better approach than banning books.

“It is important that state law step in to prevent these attempts to limit myriad and diverse ideas and perspectives that are contained in books,” Sedillo Lopez said.

The legislation applies to all library resources — including books, magazines, databases, films and displays — and library programming. It sets statewide standards for transparent, constitutionally sound review policies and shields librarians and staff from discipline for acting in good faith under the rules.

SB 65 is part of a trio of education-related measures co-sponsored by Sedillo Lopez, Pope and Cates, with each lawmaker serving as the prime sponsor for one bill. Together, the bills aim to protect library materials, standardize review processes and safeguard staff.

While SB 65 focuses on public school libraries, the other two bills target different parts of the education system. Sen. Pope’s SB 45 would require public colleges and universities to adopt written library policies with nondiscrimination protections, while Rep. Cates’s House Bill 26 would ban book removal in public libraries and set formal procedures for challenges while protecting staff and funding.