I am concerned about the amendments proposed in HB 1239. This bill would put a large burden on libraries, schools, universities and museums who may inadvertently break the law due to the vagueness of the wording. With our current laws, this amendment is not needed, as it is already illegal to disseminate obscene materials to minors. Some of my concerns with this bill: Burden on schools and libraries: This bill shifts the job of parenting from the parents to the librarians and teachers who must police the use of materials. Limits freedom: This amendment could severely limit the ability of libraries and schools to provide age-appropriate reading materials to all their students and patrons. Difficult to enforce: “Harmful to minors” is subjective and depends not only on age but on individual and family characteristics. It is unreasonable for librarians to be held accountable for knowing each family’s preferences. Part of the purpose of libraries is to provide free access to books and other informational resources to anyone who would like. This means that they will have materials for all age groups; in most libraries, these resources are sorted into various age groups to make them easier to find. While young children are unlikely to be interested in or able to read materials meant for older age groups, it is possible that they may stray to a different section. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come to the library with their children and guide them to the materials meant for their age group. Because most libraries already have policies about minors in the library in place, this bill seems unnecessary and would put a great burden on libraries and schools trying to adhere to these vague guidelines.

I am concerned about the amendments proposed in HB 1239. This bill would place a significant burden on libraries, schools, universities, and museums due to its vague wording. Our current laws already make it illegal to disseminate obscene materials to minors, making this amendment unnecessary. My concerns include: Burden on Schools and Libraries: This bill shifts the responsibility of parenting from parents to librarians and teachers, who would have to police the use of materials based one family’s preference. Limits on Freedom: The amendment could severely restrict the ability of libraries and schools to provide age-appropriate reading materials to all students and patrons. Enforcement Challenges: The term "harmful to minors" is subjective. It is unreasonable to expect librarians to know each family's preferences. Libraries are meant to provide free access to books and other resources for all age groups. Most libraries already have policies in place to manage minors' access to materials, making this bill redundant and burdensome.

I am deeply concerned about the proposed amendments in HB 1239. This bill would impose a heavy burden on educational and cultural institutions due to its ambiguous language. Our existing laws already prohibit the dissemination of obscene materials to minors, making this amendment unnecessary. Here are my main concerns: Increased Burden: The bill places the responsibility of enforcing one family’s choices on all families instead of leaving this responsibility to parents. Freedom Restrictions: It could significantly limit the availability of age-appropriate materials in libraries and schools. Subjectivity Issues: The definition of "harmful to minors" is subjective and varies by age and family. Expecting librarians to navigate this is unreasonable. Libraries are designed to offer free access to information for the ages they serve, with existing policies. This bill is unnecessary and would place undue strain on libraries and schools.

I am writing to voice my concerns about HB 1239. This bill would place an undue burden on libraries, schools, universities, and museums due to its vague wording. Our current laws already prohibit the dissemination of obscene materials to minors, making this amendment redundant. My concerns are as follows: Burden on Institutions: The bill shifts the responsibility of parenting from parents to librarians and teachers. Limiting Access: It could severely limit the ability of libraries and schools to provide age-appropriate materials. Enforcement Difficulties: The term "harmful to minors" is subjective and varies by age and family. It is unreasonable to expect librarians to know each family's preferences. Libraries are meant to provide free access to information for all ages, with existing policies to manage minors' access. This bill is unnecessary and would place an undue burden on libraries and schools.

I am concerned about HB 1239. This bill would put a large burden on schools, libraries, and colleges who may inadvertently break the law due to the vagueness of the wording. With our current laws, this bill is not needed, as it is already illegal to disseminate obscene materials to minors. Here are my concerns with this bill: Burden on schools and libraries: This bill shifts the job of parenting from the parents to the librarians and teachers who must police the use of materials. Limits freedom: This amendment could severely limit the ability of libraries and schools to provide age-appropriate reading materials to all their students and patrons. Difficult to enforce: “Harmful to minors” is subjective and depends not only on age but on individual and family characteristics. It is unreasonable for librarians to be held accountable for knowing each family’s preferences. Part of the purpose of libraries is to provide free access to books and other informational resources to anyone who would like. This means that they will have materials for all age groups; in most libraries, these resources are sorted into various age groups to make them easier to find. While young children are unlikely to be interested in or able to read materials meant for older age groups, it is possible that they may stray to a different section. Parents are welcome and encouraged to come to the library with their children and guide them to the materials meant for their age group. Because most libraries already have policies about minors in the library in place, this bill seems unnecessary and would put a great burden on libraries and schools trying to adhere to these vague guidelines.

I am writing to express my concerns about the amendments proposed in HB 1239. This bill would place a significant burden on libraries, schools, universities, and museums due to its vague wording. Our current laws already make it illegal to disseminate obscene materials to minors, making this amendment unnecessary. My concerns include: Burden on Schools and Libraries: This bill shifts the responsibility of parenting from parents to librarians and teachers. Limits on Freedom: The amendment could severely restrict the ability of libraries and schools to provide age-appropriate reading materials to all students and patrons. Enforcement Challenges: The term "harmful to minors" is subjective and varies based on age and individual family characteristics. It is unreasonable to expect librarians to know each family's preferences. Libraries of all types are meant to provide free access to books and other resources for all age groups in their community.