BISMARCK, N.D. – A bill further restricting books containing sexually explicit materials in North Dakota is sent to Governor Kelly Armstrong.
The House passed the legislation despite a do not pass recommendation from the Appropriations Committee. It requires any sexual content in libraries be put in areas that aren’t easily accessible to minors.
Opponents say the bill is a form of censorship.
Republican State Senator Keith Boehm of Mandan, who introduced the bill, said he did so without consulting the State Library Association or the State School Board Association. He also removed language restricting digital content in libraries which would cost $2 million for technology for age verification.
If signed into law, the proposal would add to a 2023 law banning sexually explicit materials from public libraries’ children’s sections, and allows people to ask libraries to remove content they find to be “inappropriate.” The bill would apply to public libraries and school libraries.
