Legislation in West Virginia and Utah is targeting the distribution and display of certain materials in schools and public libraries, amid a broader national debate over content deemed inappropriate for minors. In West Virginia, the House passed a bill that would allow for the prosecution of school employees, librarians, and museum workers if they distribute or display 'obscene matter' to minors, with penalties including fines of up to $25,000 and up to five years in prison. Meanwhile, Utah lawmakers are working on legislation to change how books can be removed from school libraries, with details still being finalized. The efforts reflect a wider push by some legislators to control access to materials that they argue are not suitable for children, including content related to LGBTQ identities.
A new bill in West Virginia would remove protections for librarians over books that include "obscene" material amid a national spike in book-banning attempts. https://t.co/l0p38D9s9E
Utah lawmakers, state officials and parents pushing for school safety reform spoke in support of HB84. The bill would establish a statewide system for school safety incidents. Link: https://t.co/FOu2y0Zmbw
NEW: Democrats are effectively forcing “porn” and other age-inappropriate books on kids thanks to a law banning parental groups & school boards from removing age-inappropriate materials from school libraries. But they CAN ban conservative books! Read👇🏻 https://t.co/uZPwDB9R7P
Utah lawmakers are working to change state law over how books could be removed from school libraries, although details still need to be hammered out before it could get to the governor’s desk. https://t.co/ocoOW446Ij
As Republicans continue to sound the alarm about how children are supposedly being indoctrinated and “groomed” into adopting LGBTQ identities at school, legislators are pushing a new kind of crackdown on books deemed “obscene.” Story: https://t.co/WlIbih1hSG https://t.co/p2r4Qt6b3a
“West Virginia House passes bill allowing prosecution of librarians” https://t.co/Egt6SvHYeb
West Virginia many times over the years has ranked poorest or near poorest state in the nation with unacceptable and crippling poverty rates. West Virginia House: hey we can solve this by prosecuting librarians. https://t.co/eKZ9vtyUDc
BREAKING: West Virginia House has passed a bill to prosecute employees of schools, public libraries, and museums if they distribute or display “obscene matter” to minors. If found guilty, they can face fines of up to $25,000, up to five years in prison, or both.
GOP bill criminalizes sexually explicit material in public but not private schools https://t.co/rnYiuuxV8a via @azcentral
West Virginia House passes bill allowing prosecution of librarians | @newsandsentinel https://t.co/asziLkvN17