Bill Text: NY A07830 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides that publicly funded libraries may not ban books because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to libraries and education technology [A07830 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A07830-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7830

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      July 7, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Libraries and Education Technology

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law,  in relation to the practice of
          banning books by libraries

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 254 of the education law, as amended by chapter 718
     2  of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
     3    § 254. Standards  of  library service. 1. The regents shall have power
     4  to fix standards of library service for every free  association,  public
     5  and  hospital  library  or,  with  the  advice of the appropriate tribal
     6  government and library board of trustees, Indian library which  receives
     7  any  portion  of  the  moneys  appropriated  by  the  state  to aid such
     8  libraries, or which is supported in whole or in part by  tax  levied  by
     9  any  municipality  or  district.  In the case of a hospital library or a
    10  library serving a hospital,  such  standards  shall  be  established  in
    11  consultation  with the commissioner of health. If any such library shall
    12  fail to comply with the regents requirements,  such  library  shall  not
    13  receive  any  portion  of the moneys appropriated by the state for free,
    14  hospital or Indian libraries nor shall any tax be levied by any  munici-
    15  pality or district for the support in whole or in part of such library.
    16    2.  Every  free association library, public library, hospital library,
    17  Indian library and library system which receives any portion  of  moneys
    18  appropriated by the state shall adopt the American Library Association's
    19  library bill of rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed
    20  or  removed  because  of  partisan  or  doctrinal disapproval or, in the
    21  alternative, develop a written statement  prohibiting  the  practice  of
    22  banning books or other materials within the library or library system.
    23    §  2.  Section  711  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
    24  subdivision 5 to read as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11697-01-3
        A. 7830                             2

     1    5. Each school district, board of education, trustees or such body  or
     2  officers  as perform the functions of such boards shall adopt the Ameri-
     3  can Library Association's library bill of rights that indicates  materi-
     4  als should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal
     5  disapproval  or, in the alternative, develop a written statement prohib-
     6  iting the practice of banning books or other materials within any school
     7  library which receives aid for the purchase of school library materials.
     8    § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
     9  have become a law.