Tennessee lawmakers are considering two bills that would establish parental oversight boards for public libraries whose decisions on removing material would not be subject to appeal. The boards would focus on inappropriate sexual content. If librarians did not comply with board decisions, they would face misdemeanor charges and fines. (BookRiot, February 24, 2020, by Kelly Jensen)
A Missouri bill also aimed at inappropriate sexual material for children would subject librarians out of compliance to jail sentences and the loss of their library’s funding. (The Guardian, January 16, 2020, by Alison Flood)
In a press release, Pen America, January 15, 2020, said of the Missouri bill, “This act is clearly aimed at empowering small groups of parents to appoint themselves as censors over their state’s public libraries. Books wrestling with sexual themes, books uplifting LGBTQIA+ characters, books addressing issues such as sexual assault—all of these books are potentially on the chopping block if this bill is passed.”
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