Image courtesy of U.S. House Office of Photography
Governor Kelly Armstrong vetoed controversial Senate Bill 2307 on Wednesday, rejecting legislation that would have forced libraries to restrict “offensively sexual” materials from children’s access. The bill, which narrowly passed both legislative chambers, would have cost $2 million for content filtering and allowed anyone to file complaints requiring state’s attorneys to review library materials. Armstrong called the bill “redundant” and “overly burdensome,” arguing that in today’s media environment, “the amount of time, money and taxpayer resources spent on where a book is placed in a library would be better used elsewhere.” The self-described “free speech absolutist” maintained that children’s reading choices should remain parental decisions. Library advocacy groups praised the veto, which legislators could still attempt to override with a two-thirds majority.
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