HB 900 vs. HB 5251 - Hearing tomorrow on HB 900
March 20, 2023 | Montgomery County, TX
Tomorrow, the House Education Committee will meet at 8 am to discuss House Bill 900 (HB 900), the Reader Bill, which proposes a solution to the problem of pornographic materials in our children’s school libraries.
Another bill, HB 5251 by Rep. Steve Toth, takes a different approach to the same problem. Both have merit. We hope that HB 900's sponsor, Rep. Jared Patterson, and the committee will look toward incorporating elements of Toth's bill to give the effort the 'teeth' it needs to be a real solution to this abhorrent problem.
We had concerns about the language in the Patterson bill that included the words 'voluntary' and 'consider' in its discussion of creating standards for public school libraries. Patterson's Legislative Director assured us that that Texas State Library and Archives Commission and the State Board of Education set standards for school boards for a variety of purposes, but that the bill to set standards on books will be required.
Patterson’s legislation is moving through the House. Toth's bill is the same as a bill in the Senate by Senator Bob Hall (SB 13) and Toth believes that the Hall bill will pass the Senate and then be taken up in the House, with Toth taking the lead on it there.
In a meeting with Rep. Toth this afternoon, he shared a cartoon from a book that was found in a Texas school by a parent. We can't share the cartoon. It would be censored. But suffice it to say that it depicted two naked women engaging in oral sex. How does this happen without the encouragement of school officials currently approving content appropriate for children?
According to Toth, his legislation includes a School Library Advisory Council that will have five members, with the majority of seats held by parents and not officials employed by the school district. Parental input is one of the key problems with the current system and is essential to satisfying parents that their concerns are being heard.
We hope the Education Committee will look to both approaches and find the best language from each to develop a better bill.
Take Action
The House Education Committee will meet at 8 am tomorrow, March 21, to discuss the Reader Bill. Click the button to send a message on HB 900, which goes to the committee members and is put into the record.