House lawmakers have introduced a new version of a bill that would allow parents to sue libraries that lend their kids materials deemed “harmful” to minors.
A House committee killed a version of this proposal earlier this year, saying it restricted people’s First Amendment rights.
The newest version of the proposal would limit the amount parents could sue a library for to $2,500, down from $10,000.
Determining which books or movies would be deemed “obscene” would be up to society, according to Rep. Jaron Crane (R-Nampa), who sponsors the bill.
“The local community is going to decide what is acceptable. For example, Boise Public Library is going to be completely different than Nampa or Rupert or Rigby or Rexburg," Crane said.
That means more conservative areas could ban kids from checking out materials with LGBTQ themes.
“It’s not mandating any certain type of policy. It’s allowing the local library to decide what materials should be in the library and how they go about making it limited to minors,” he said.
Crane said he consulted the Idaho Library Association about the bill, but the group opposes it. In a statement, the ILA said it doesn’t support any effort to “punish libraries for fulfilling their vital work of meeting the needs of everyone in the community and providing access to constitutionally protected materials.”
A committee must still hold a public hearing on the issue before it could reach the House floor
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