Michigan could make it almost impossible for parents to challenge library books

Michigan Democratic lawmakers are sponsoring bills to create statewide standards for keeping or removing books from libraries.

Democratic Reps. Veronica Paiz of Harper Woods and Carol Glanville of Walker introduced House bills 6034 and 6035 Nov. 7. The bills are tie-barred, meaning one cannot be enacted without the other.

“This bill aims to protect our libraries by establishing clear standards and processes for selecting and withdrawing materials from collections,” Glanville told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email about her proposal. “Additionally, this bill enhances local control of libraries by setting guidelines for out-of-district requests. By protecting our libraries, we’re not just preserving books. We’re supporting freedom, community, and the values that unite us.”

The bill aims to give the district library’s chief executive employee the final responsibility for keeping or removing materials in a district library's collection. The director or chief executive employee may designate another individual to act on the director’s or chief executive employee’s behalf to assist with selection or withdrawal.

Under the bill, only a district resident or contracted service area resident can submit a request for reconsideration of material.

If the district library decided on a request for reconsideration of material, then the library can’t consider a reconsideration request of that same material within 365 days after that determination, according to legislative language.

The bills aim to create uniform rules dictating when and how library materials can be challenged and removed from shelves, said the Michigan Library Association’s Executive Director Debbie Mikula.

"For the last three years, we have been dealing with book challenges — removing and moving books,” Mikula told CapCon in a phone interview. “These bills help identify ways that our public libraries can handle some of those challenges. In many libraries, people from outside of their districts come in and want to remove materials. Libraries are locally funded, locally controlled, and we wanted to make sure that every library had a board-approved policy in effect that complies with this act."

Under the bill, a reason or basis for a request for reconsideration cannot be made based on the religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, height, weight, familial status, or marital status of the author or because the subject matter mentions one of the aforementioned topics.

It’s unclear if lawmakers will take up these bills during the lame-duck session in December. The bills were referred to the Committee on Government Operations.