Graphic courtesy of Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 MO House Bill 2044 seeks to restrict minors’ content access.
BY DEANNA KALIAN ’20
Last month, Missouri State House Representative Ben Baker introduced the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, or House Bill 2044. The bill states that “no public library shall receive any state aid under this section if such library allows minors to access age-inappropriate sexual materials.”
The bill defines “age-inappropriate sexual material” as “any description or representation, in any form, of nudity, sexuality, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse … that … appeals to the prurient interest of minors.” The bill argues that this content “[i]s patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is appropriate material for minors; and … lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.”
To ensure that these standards are met, the bill proposes that each public library establish a “parental library review board,” which will judge whether library material available to the public is inappropriate. The board will hold public hearings in which community members will have the opportunity to express concerns about specific material.
Material determined to be inappropriate for minors must be removed from public access, the bill states. Additionally, any librarian who refuses to comply with these restrictions could be found guilty of a misdemeanor and may be sentenced with a maximum fine of $500 or imprisonment in the county jail for a maximum of one year.
Opposition to HB 2044 has quickly arisen. “Public libraries exist to provide equitable access to information to all of its users, as it is key to having an informed populace,” Missouri Library Association President Cynthia Dudenhoffer said in a statement. “[We] will always oppose legislation that infringes on these rights,”
Dudenhoffer also told ABC News that “[t]he librarians have training to represent the needs of the community,” reminding the public that librarians are required to undergo training about what materials are suitable for minors and that Missouri public libraries already have boards that examine materials based upon cardholders’ feedback.
Mount Holyoke students are worried about the ramifications of the bill. “No books should be banned,” said Erica Grenger ’20. “Banning books is censorship and what people choose to read and write should be entirely up to them.”
Organizations battling censorship have also expressed concern over the proposed bill. “This act is clearly aimed at empowering … parents to appoint themselves as censors over their state’s public libraries. Books wrestling with sexual themes … uplifting LGBTQIA+ characters … addressing issues such as sexual assault — all of these books are potentially on the chopping block if this bill is passed,” said James Tager, deputy director of Free Expression Research and Policy at PEN America, in a press release.
Nora Pelizzari, a spokeswoman for the National Coalition Against Censorship, agreed. “This is one tactic that is being taken to try to put forward this idea that children should not have access to picture books about a prince and knight falling in love,” she told ABC News.
Rep. Baker disagrees with these conclusions. “I want to be able to take my kids to a library and make sure they’re in a safe environment, and that they’re not gonna be exposed to something that is objectionable material,” Baker said in an interview with KOAM News.