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Committee hears bill to cut public funding from libraries that host Drag Queen Story Hour
Summary
Senate Bill 18 would withhold public funds from municipal libraries that host events where a person presenting as another gender reads to minors and where cross‑dressing is a primary component of the program. Sponsor said the bill is aimed at protecting children; public testimony was scheduled after recess and the bill was left pending.
Senator Hughes, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate Committee on State Affairs that Senate Bill 18 targets Drag Queen Story Hour events held at municipal libraries and would withdraw public funding from libraries that host such events if cross‑dressing is a primary component of the entertainment for minors. Hughes described the program as having "explosive growth" and said founding materials state the program aims to "capture the imagination and play of gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models." He said some events are aimed at children ages 3 to 11 and cited instances where libraries hosted events without doing background checks after complaints.
Senator Bettencourt told the committee that last session’s related legislation (Senate Bill 12) passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis and is on appeal in federal court; Hughes described SB 18 as narrower and "very surgical" compared with prior measures. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the statutory language and the bill’s reach; Hughes said the bill does not use the specific phrase "drag queen" in statute but would capture the activity described in the sponsorship materials.
The committee deferred public testimony until after a recess to accommodate other Senate business; when the committee reconvened it planned to hear witnesses both for and against the bill. Public testimony was not completed in the transcript excerpt and the bill was left pending in committee.
