Iowa House bill would restrict "harmful" material in public libraries

Описание: Laura Belin recorded this video on February 12, 2026, as an Iowa House Judiciary subcommittee considered a bill "relating to public library requirements for materials harmful to minors, and providing civil and criminal penalties."

Text of House File 2309, introduced by Republican State Representative Charley Thomson (who chaired the subcommittee):

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislatio...

The bill would require restricted access for "presumptively harmful material," so minors could not check it out without parental consent.

Parents could bring a civil action against a public library, public library board of trustees, or public library employee for violations, seeking punitive damages as well as compensatory damages. It states that "Sovereign immunity and governmental immunity are waived" for such claims.

During the 30-minute subcommittee hearing, speakers alternated for and against the bill. The first speaker was a public library trustee in Sioux County, where a 13-year-old allegedly checked out an adult romance novel during 2025. Republicans and social conservatives have widely publicized the incident to justify statewide action to ensure minors cannot access books with sexual content in public libraries.

Speakers in favor of the bill highlighted the public interest in protecting children's innocence. Critics warned it would be prohibitively expensive for many public libraries and would discourage people from working at or volunteering for libraries, because of the civil and criminal liability. Also, libraries in smaller communities might find it impossible to comply with the law's requirements to keep the children's and adult sections "physically separated." It might lead to libraries restricting all access to children, to avoid potentially costly litigation.

Near the end of this video, Democratic State Representative Megan Srinivas explained why she would vote against the bill. Republican State Representatives Samantha Fett and Charley Thomson voted to advance it to the full House Judiciary Committee, where it will likely be on the agenda during the week of February 16.