Senate committee hears hours of public testimony for and against SB 18, bill left pending

The Senate convened extensive public testimony on SB 18, a bill introduced to restrict taxpayer-funded library programming by removing public funding from libraries that host events described in the bill as involving “a man dressed as a woman or a woman dressed as a man.” Supporters urged the committee to advance the bill to protect children; opponents said the measure is unconstitutional and would chill free speech and library services. The chair left SB 18 pending for a future vote.

Supporters told the committee they want libraries to be child-focused and free of what they consider sexualized or ideologically driven programming. Jonathan Covey, policy director at Texas Values, said he was "testifying in favor of SB 18" and told senators his group tracks what it calls the "documented explosive growth in Drag Queen Story Hour events in public municipal libraries." Vanessa Civec, president of Protecting Texas Children and a pediatric nurse, said, "No library should be used to promote gender ideology and…