Creating volunteer board to review and rate library books
Summary
Senate Bill 964 creates the Governor’s Safe Library Books for Kids Committee within the Department of Tourism. The committee would consist of the Secretary of Tourism or a designee, plus four gubernatorial appointees serving two-year terms without compensation. Its core job would be to develop an age-appropriateness rating system for books in the children’s and teens’ sections of public libraries and to review existing library holdings, beginning with materials for the youngest readers and moving upward through teen and adult-level books.
The bill also directs that books assigned a rating be placed in the appropriate library section, and it states that adult-level books are not to be rated. After the rating process, any non-rated book would be prohibited from being placed in children’s or teens’ sections. A violation of this placement rule would be a misdemeanor punishable by a minimum fine of $500 per occurrence.
Impact
If enacted, SB964 would add a new article to the West Virginia Code establishing a state-level committee with authority over how public library books are categorized and shelved for minors. It would affect public libraries statewide by requiring review and reclassification of children’s, teen, and some adult materials, and it would create a new criminal penalty for noncompliance with the bill’s shelving restrictions. The measure would also place the committee administratively within the Department of Tourism, which is an unusual placement for a library-content review body.
Sentiment
Based on the bill’s text and caption, the measure appears to be framed by supporters as a child-safety and age-appropriateness initiative for public libraries. No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no direct evidence of legislative debate, but the structure of the bill suggests an intent to impose stricter oversight of library materials accessible to minors. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means the broader sentiment in the legislature cannot be determined from the provided materials.
Contention
The most likely points of contention are the bill’s government role in reviewing and rating library books, the scope of its restrictions on children’s and teens’ sections, and the criminal penalty for violations. Library advocates, free-speech proponents, and local library administrators may object to state-mandated content review, the potential for viewpoint-based censorship, and the operational burden of re-shelving and compliance. Supporters would likely emphasize parental concerns, age-appropriate access, and the protection of minors from unsuitable material.
Removing restrictions of taxpayers to access online curriculum, and allow for taxpayers to inspect additional instructional material adopted by the county board pursuant to including books in the classroom