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Committee advances SB 74 after adopting Hong amendment amid clashes over librarians' criminal liability
Summary
A Judiciary committee voted to advance SB 74 with an amendment that conditions librarian immunity on following governing-authority decisions and adds reviewer training; supporters say it protects minors, opponents call it a book ban that risks criminalizing librarians and chilling access to diverse materials.
A Judiciary committee advanced Senate Bill 74 on a voice and show-of-hands vote after adopting an amendment from Vice Chair Hong that narrows immunity and requires training for members who review challenges to materials.
The measure, as amended, says immunity under the cited code section will not apply if a librarian fails to comply with the decisions of appropriate governing authorities on complaints about materials harmful to minors; the amendment also directs OCGA 20-5-43 to establish training procedures for reconsideration committees as provided in OCGA 16-12-103.
Supporters said the bill seeks to protect children by creating clearer, enforceable review processes. Senator Burns, one of the bill’s proponents, said the proposal is not intended to remove books from libraries but to ‘‘move [certain materials] to a place to…
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