(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(North Dakota Monitor) -North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong vetoed a library content bill, calling it “a misguided attempt to legislate morality through overreach and censorship.”
The Republican said in a veto message that Senate Bill 2307 is redundant with legislation approved two years ago and is overly burdensome for librarians, school districts and state’s attorneys.
“The bill imposes vague and punitive burdens on professionals and opens the door to a host of unintended and damaging consequences for our communities,” Armstrong said.
The state estimated it would cost $2 million in the first four years to implement the bill by adding an age-verification system for an online database used by North Dakota libraries. Local state’s attorneys and libraries would likely see additional costs, according to testimony on the bill.
Armstrong called the process in the bill “completely unworkable.” He raised concerns about books such as “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank, “The Kite Runner” and “1984” as other books that have been targeted by obscenity laws.
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