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House approves statewide policy for school‑library review after floor debate over parental control
Summary
The House adopted Senate Bill 63 to require standards for school policies on library resources; supporters said it standardizes review procedures while opponents argued it undermines parental control. The bill passed on third reading.
The Colorado House approved Senate Bill 63 on third reading after extended floor debate about how school libraries handle challenges to materials.
The bill directs local school districts and education entities to adopt policies to evaluate library resources that receive a complaint. Supporters said the measure standardizes review procedures, clarifies how districts weigh nondiscrimination and obscenity law, and sets a process for temporary access restrictions while a resource is under review.
Opponents urged lawmakers to reject the bill as written. Representative DeGraaf said the measure “is meant to look like it’s something about parental control. But reading through it, it's about removing parental control,” and read passages he described as concerning. DeGraaf urged amendments that were denied on the floor and objected to language he said could expose parents who challenge materials.
Representative Garcia, a sponsor in floor discussion, said the bill “is about making sure that there is standardized policies in our education systems for evaluating books that have a complaint against them” and stressed inclusion of existing nondiscrimination and obscenity standards in the bill’s language.
The House voted to adopt Senate Bill 63 on third reading; the clerk recorded 42 yes, 22 no and 1 excused.
Supporters framed the bill as a neutral, procedural safeguard to ensure consistent district responses to book challenges; opponents said it preserved access to materials that some parents find objectionable and raised concerns about how records of complaints would be handled.
