A Republican lawmaker from Ohio just introduced a bill that would fund public libraries if they fail to remove or hide so-called “harmful” material to minors.
Michelle Francis, a mother of two from Columbus, is a fan not only of her local library, but of all public programs.
“I have two daughters, they love the library,” Francis said. “They keep asking to come visit.”
She works for the Ohio Library Board and said the biggest challenge she faces is lack of funding.
Libraries are at their busiest time of year right now, with schools laying off staff, but in recent weeks, facilities across the state have reported reductions in hours, programs and even staff.
Many libraries rely on taxpayer money, but state revenues continue to decline, as detailed this week in a report by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Francis now has an additional worry with a up-to-date bill introduced in the Ohio Statehouse.
State Representative Al Cutron (R-Canfield) was introduced. House Bill 622, which requires each public library board of trustees to adopt a policy prohibiting libraries from displaying content that is “harmful to minors.” Libraries that do not follow these recommendations will have their state funds withdrawn.
“By doing this, we are protecting our youth, we are protecting our children, and we are allowing them to go to a safe place where parents are not worried about what materials they will be exposed to,” Cutrona told me.
The full bill can be found here.
Under Ohio law“harmful to minors” has a broad meaning, including material that describes or depicts nudity, sexual or indecent behavior.
“This is a threat,” Francis said. “This is a direct attack on public libraries in Ohio.”
While Cutrona didn’t provide any specific examples, he said his constituents say the books are inappropriate for children.
“The purpose of this bill is not to restrict one specific book, but rather to restrict subject areas,” he said.
Civil rights activists do concerns raised that some conservatives may find books containing LGBTQ+ characters offensive. But Francis said this bill could also impact any other topic — art history, for example.
“Any time you look at banning or restricting or discouraging material, it really has a chilling effect,” she said.
That’s why there are safeguards, the legislator replied. Libraries may “wrap” books to hide them or keep them behind the counter.
Ohioans concerned about the materials can file a formal complaint with the state library board, which will then decide whether the materials are inappropriate or not. The Ohio State Library Board of Directors is composed of five members appointed by the Director of the Ohio Department of Education and Labor.
“They can still be there, they can still be inspected, and a lot of this material will be inspected with parental consent,” Cutrona said. “If libraries want to ignore parental consent, they don’t need those parents’ taxes.”
Librarians are not babysitters, Francis said.
“The task of the public library and librarians is not to determine what a child checks and what he or she must check,” she added.
The legislator claims that he has already talked to both MPs and senators who are willing to quickly start working on the bill.
This is the second bill affecting libraries in just two months. HB 556 would criminalize teachers and district librarians for “fondling” so-called “obscene” materials.
This may prevent you from viewing, giving away, renting or purchasing certain content. It would also be illegal to create, direct or produce indecent performances.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau X AND Facebook.
This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.
