Dana Jones, the Center, testifies to the freedom of reading before the House’s methods and the means of reading on 21 February 2024. Jones House is part of the “schedule agenda” led by House Speaker Edrien Jones, which serves as a sponsor of the law. William J. Photo by Ford.
A bill that proposes to protect library books, reading materials and other resources, a long and several dramatic first public hearing from the sensor on Wednesday.
The freedom of reading ACT is in the form of a “schedule agenda” that is champion by the House Speaker Edrien A Jones (D-Baltimor County), which is providing literary materials available in public schools and public libraries, has become a part of a national dialogue on it.
“This important and time law will prevent our libraries from becoming the next limit of censorship, protecting literature and protecting freedom for readers,” Chief Sponsor, Dana Jones (D-Ani Arundel) said before the House’s methods and means committee. “Freedom to read the Act … will prevent intolerance and hatred from taking roots in our institutions and our schools.”
Sitting with five supporters of Jones Law, including Skip Die, Senior Vice President of Library Sales and Digital Strategies for Penguin Random House, book publishers, who traveled with delaware to testify. Two of the four distribution centers of the company are located in Carol County.
“The book is a dangerous, national trend of the ban. It silences our writers, ”he said. “Book ban takes different types of forms [and] They include restrictions, they include removal and rating systems. By doing these things, they not only compromise the autonomy of libraries, but also threatens the basis of our democratic society. ,
The bill was the last of the 19 to be heard by the methods and the means committee on Wednesday. The marathon session lasted for more than six hours, the hearing on the remedy of Jones lasted for about two hours.
The state library wants to protect them to protect them school and public library employees to follow the standards, stating that they can be “rejected, suspended, disciplined, disciplined, demoted, restored, transferred or otherwise retaliated.”
According to the bill, some standards will not include removing library materials, books and other resources based on the background, origin, or opinion of a writer or manufacturer. In addition, a library should not restrict or remove the content from its catalog “due to biased or principle rejection”.
If there are policies of any county library, resource center, or “cooperative service program” that do not conform to these state standards, if the Maryland State Library agency does not conform to these state standards, the state will authorize the funding of the Librarian state to withdraw the funding of the state from the institution.
A State Library Board has nominated three rural county libraries as regional resource centers at Charlotte Hall in Southern Maryland, Hagargarstown in Western Maryland and Salisbury on the east coast, which according to the analysis of the bill, will become more library content and a clearinghouse for resources than an individual library.
Under the law, a person can “deliberately” carry out the property of any book or other library “illegally” or not ruin.
Any person accused of these crimes will be accused of a rape and if found guilty, he can spend in jail for 10 months, not more than $ 1,000, or imprisonment to both. The current fine is $ 250.
Dale. Shaneka Henson (D-Ani Arundel) raised several questions about the law, including whether librarians are contracted or for employees.
Sonia Alakantara-Antoine, CEO of Baltimore County Public Library, said that no library workers are constables under their jurisdiction.
Cheryl Bose, president of the Maryland State Education Association, said that all library workers in public schools are full -time employees. In primary schools, he said that librarians could also teach “a class of students”.
Henson also asked that if a person ruins the property of the library and has to be given a increased punishment, then who will implement the rules.
“If we are asking the police to come to our libraries and ask them to implement them with maximum punishment, and then people are in court [and] Subject to the criminal legal process, I would clearly like to understand that while deciding on the bill, ”he said.
‘Cook for legal challenges’
Two people testified against the bill.
For the Maryland Legislative Committee of Liberty, Moms President Suji Scott hoisted a book above his shoulder, which was titled, “Let’s talk: talk about: sex, teenage guides for relationships, and being a human being.” His gesture revealed a page of the book with pictures of male sex organs.
The organization’s Harford County Chapter Chairman Scott said that he received the book from the public library of his jurisdiction.
Lorna Henry, a lawyer, with a conservative legal defense organization called the Pacific Justice Institute, said the bill wants to promote the spirit of “alleged impartiality”.
Lorna Henry, Rights, Methods of the House and the Resources Committee testifies against the Freedom Act. Suji Scott next to Henry is the Speaker of Mothers for the Maryland Legislative Committee of Liberty. William J. Photo by Ford.
“The language of this bill is not clear and mature for legal challenges in its current form,” he said. “Is there a sexually explicit book at the age of 6 to read the freedom to direct the child’s upbringing that is more than the freedom of his parents who are not to read that book?”
If approved, Maryland will represent one of the few states in the country to approve a policy with strong security for those who can be found in libraries and punishments for those who try to fail it.
The Illinois law became the first state in the nation last year to sign a uniform policy, which came into force on 1 January.
Several other state assemblies such as Colorado, Canasus, New Jersey and New Mexico introduced the anti -book ban law this year.
The Utah House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a contrast bill, allowing local school boards to hold public hearing and decide whether some books should be banned. The State Board of Education will take a final decision to override a ban.
The Utah Legislature, which is the majority-republican, approves the measure, which expands the 2022 law that allows parents to challenge “sensitive materials” in schools. The move makes it easier to ban “criminally porn or porn” books if they are banned in a handful of school systems or charter schools.
In Maryland, the Senate version of The Freedom to Read ACT, sponsored by the Senate Majority Leader Nancy J King (D-Montgomery), will be heard before the committee on education, energy and environment at 9 am on Friday.
Re -published