Report: “Oregon ‘Freedom to Read’ Library Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk”

From the  Oregon Capital Chronicle:

A bill to protect access to school library books that discuss different religions, sexualities, disabilities and a number of other topics, and to ensure they are not banned on the basis of those themes, is headed to Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk, where she’s expected to sign it.

Senate Bill 1098 passed the Oregon House of Representatives Monday on a 34-21 vote. It would prohibit school libraries from removing books on the basis of their being about, or by, a member of a protected class as defined in Oregon’s anti-discrimination in education law. Those protected classes include: race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, marital status, age and disability.

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Oregon would join at least eight other states — including Colorado, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Vermont, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington — who have adopted similar legislation either protecting library workers from lawsuits or prohibiting libraries from restricting access to books with diverse viewpoints, according to the American Library Association.

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Filed under: Libraries, News, School Libraries