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Board flags state bill that would broaden who can file book complaints
Summary
Board members discussed Library Legislative Day and expressed concern about House Bill 2449, which the chair said would let any county resident (not just cardholders) lodge book complaints; the bill was reported stalled in committee at the time of the meeting.
The White House Public Library Board discussed plans for Library Legislative Day and a state bill that the chair said could change who may challenge library materials.
At the meeting the chair noted Library Legislative Day is scheduled for April 24 and encouraged board participation to meet legislators about library issues. The chair then raised House Bill 2449, telling trustees that the measure "would make anyone in the county able to lodge a complaint against a book" and that the existing requirement that challengers be active cardholders would be removed. "That is removing that protection," the chair said, and board members characterized the change as significant for library operations.
The chair said the bill had been "shelved" or was back in committee when they last checked, and that the state librarian had described its status as stalled in the senate committee. The director added that she had asked the state librarian about the bill and had been told it was stalled in committee.
Trustees asked about ways to track library-related legislation. The chair pointed to Every Library as a national resource and said the Tennessee Library Association (TNLA) sends a legislative report and listserv updates monitoring bills of interest to libraries; the regional representative offered to share listserv notices with the board.
No board action was taken on the bill during the meeting. Trustees agreed to monitor developments and were encouraged to participate in Library Legislative Day.
