H.R. 7661 would modify the Federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 by prohibiting the use of funds for “sexually oriented” materials. The U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce passed the bill on March 17.
Obscene materials are already not legally allowed anywhere in libraries. The bill uses a broad, confusing definition of “sexually oriented” that does not reference the many standards already in place for schools and libraries.
The language is so vague that the mere mention of nudity could qualify, impacting health, art, and science education. This would be a catastrophe for states to administer, forcing educators and librarians to remove a large collection of materials to keep funding they’ve depended on for over sixty years.
H.R. 7661 takes the power to choose what kids read away from parents, local communities, and well-trained educators and librarians, and gives it to politicians in Washington, D.C.
H.R. 7661 should not become the law of the land. Instead, the Right to Read Act (S.3365/H.R.6440) offers a better path by supporting well-staffed and well-resourced school libraries, strengthening evidence-based literacy education, and protecting library workers.
Ask your representative to vote NO on H.R. 7661 and to support the right to read instead!
