At 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, the Louisiana House Education Committee will hear SB7, a bill that lets the state government - not your local library - decide what books you can check out. The law is bad news for Louisiana libraries and the rights of the people who use them!
The bill advanced from the Senate by a vote of 27-11. It was unanimously sent to the Senate by a vote of the Senate Education Committee, which cut off citizen testimony early and refused to hear from the many people who came to the committee hearing to speak against SB7.
The people of Louisiana don’t want this bill – it's a classic example of a “solution in search of a problem.” In addition to taking away local control, SB7 would require all public libraries in the state to offer age-rated library cards that would restrict access to certain materials. The state could withhold public funds from libraries that don’t comply: the state bond commission couldn’t even consider a library’s application to borrow money or to levy a tax that benefits the library for any municipality that doesn’t meet the burdensome requirements of the proposed law.
Louisiana’s trusted library staff work hard to ensure that the needs and interests of their communities are met in ways that are safe for all patrons, including the youngest. If passed, SB7 would add costly state oversight to our libraries and potentially violate the First Amendment rights of parents and children in Louisiana.
We need your help to keep the state legislature from taking control of and defunding our public libraries! Please write to the members of the House Education Committee to defend Louisiana libraries! These letters make a difference!
