Tennessee: “House Approves Bill Targeting Publishers for Sending Schools Sexually Explicit Books”

From The Tennessean: 

A Tennessee bill that would open book publishers and distributors to criminal prosecution for sending obscene materials to public schools is headed to Gov. Bill Lee.

The Tennessee House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 1059 in a 71-22 vote. It already passed the Senate last week, and now heads to Lee’s desk. 

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Book publishers and distributors could face felony charges and fines of up to $100,000 per violation, if the bill is signed into law. 

“This is only for books being sent to the school,” [bill co-sponsor Rep. Susan],  Lynn [R-Mt. Juliet] told The Tennessean. “Certainly, if there are any sexually explicit books in teacher’s classrooms or in school libraries, they need to come out. You can’t give sexually explicit books to minors.” 

The Tennessee Association of School Librarians opposed the bill. TASL’s Legislative Committee noted that the bill could impact book publishers and distributors’ willingness to work with school districts in Tennessee, adding that it “creates unnecessary bureaucracy, limits students’ access to books, and leaves us with lots of questions.” 

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Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, News, School Libraries