STATEHOUSE — “About four years ago, I was approached by concerned parents who showed me a series of books they discovered were readily available to their children in school and public libraries. These books contain obscene, pornographic material no child should be exposed to.
"Senate Bill 12 is a bill that addresses this issue in a simple way, striking the word 'educational' out of our current statute and taking away the excuse that these books hold any educational value if a school decides to make them available in their library.
"It is important to understand that this bill does not ban or censor any books - only removes the 'educational' defense a library can use if the presence of an inappropriate book accessible to children comes into question. Legitimate literary works, books and novels are not affected.
"This legislation also only applies to K-12 libraries, and doesn't include colleges or universities.
"It is stunning to me that anyone wouldn't want to protect our children from the harmful material I saw within these books. This bill is important, and I will continue to advocate for its passage into law."
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State Sen. Jim Tomes (R-Wadesville) represents Senate District 49, which includes Posey County and portions of Vanderburgh County. Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
