Lawmakers back a wave of controversial library regulations in the Senate this week

Georgia State Sen. Greg Dolezal listens to testimony during the Senate Committee on Reapportionment and Redistrictings hearing on Thursday, November 30, 2023. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Republican lawmakers in the Georgia Gold Dome backed a contentious trio of library laws this week that have parents, legislators and professional librarians divided.

One of the bills, Senate Bill 154, would allow school librarians to be criminally prosecuted for distributing material deemed “harmful to minors,” as currently defined in Georgia law.

Another bill, Senate Bill 365, would give parents more insight into what their children check-out from public school libraries. 

S.B. 365 Overview