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{VLA} Legislation Affecting Libraries Defeated: Update on General Assembly February 20, 2023

Good afternoon,

The table below indicates the fate of the many bills introduced into this year's General Assembly that had the potential to negatively impact library collections and services. Thanks to:

  • The testimony of our Executive Director, Lisa Varga, and our Legislative Liaison, Phil Abraham
  • The work of the Intellectual Freedom Committee in crafting model emails about SB 787, HB 1379, and HB 1448 to members of the Senate and House Committees considering the legislation. 
  • The quick responses of VLA members and allies who sent emails and otherwise reached out to legislators.
  • And finally, to those legislators who supported libraries, 

all this legislation was defeated.

We can breathe easy--for a moment. The VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee is now strategizing how to capitalize on this series of legislative victories by communicating the role of libraries as institutions representing the perspectives of, and providing information for, as many members of our communities as possible, and by reinforcing and expanding our networks of supportersdedicated to protecting the First Amendment, and in our relationships with members of the General Assembly. 

Sincerely,
Keith Weimer, Chair
on Behalf of the VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
(Thank you to Tom Shepley, Chair of the Legislative Committee, for helpfully compiling a table of the legislation affecting libraries.)

Bill

Title

Sponsors

Status

HB 1379

Public Elementary And Secondary School Libraries; Catalog Of Printed And Audiovisual Materials, Etc.

Dave A. LaRock; Phillip A. Scott; Timothy V. Anderson

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (2/16)

HB 1448

Public School Library Materials: Doe To Make Recommendations, Model Policies, Selection And Removal.

Tara A. Durant; Robert D. Orrock, Sr.

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (2/16)

HB 1708

Juveniles: Prohibited Sales And Loans Of Materials Deemed Harmful.

Dave A. LaRock

H Left in Courts of Justice (2/7)

HB 1803

Public Elementary And Secondary Schools; Certain Opportunities For Parental Involvement.

Nicholas J. Freitas

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (2/16)

HB 1893

School Boards; Requires Posting Of Certain Information On Its Website.

Wendell S. Walker

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (2/16)

HB 1903

School Boards: Online Portal For Parents To Access Content In School Libraries.

Tara A. Durant

H Left in Appropriations (2/7)

HJ 505

Constitutional Amendment; Rights Of Parents (first Reference).

Nicholas J. Freitas

H Left in Privileges and Elections (2/7)

SB 787

Public School Libraries: Printed Or Audiovisual Materials, Selection, Evaluation, & Checkout Proced.

Bill DeSteph

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (1/19)

SB 832

Public Schools; Parental Rights To Educational Transparency.

Amanda F. Chase

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health with letter (14-Y 1-N) (2/2)

SB 1199

Public Schools; Parental Rights To Educational Transparency.

Bryce E. Reeves

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (12-Y 3-N) (1/19)

SB 1204

Obscene; Definition.

Bryce E. Reeves

S Passed by indefinitely in Judiciary (8-Y 5-N) (1/18)

SB 1463

Public Libraries, Certain; Parental Advisory Label To Be Affixed To Sexually Explicit Materials.

Amanda F. Chase

S Passed by indefinitely in Education and Health (9-Y 6-N) (2/2)

SB 1528

Libraries; Acquisition Of Books And Other Library Matter, Electronic Literary Material.

David W. Marsden

S Passed by indefinitely in General Laws and Technology with letter (15-Y 0-N) (2/1)