GF council to read book ban bill

At least one member of the Grand Forks council wants the city to go on record in opposition of a pair of legislative bills dealing with offensive materials in public libraries.

The legislation would ban so-called obscene materials from book buildings and hold library directors responsible for their removal. Bret Weber says he has not heard from anyone in the community that there is sexually explicit materials available at the local library. Weber says the proposed legislation also does not appropriate funds to support the action.  “It’s redundant unnecessary legislation with infringement on 1st Amendment rights suggesting that parents aren’t capable of parenting their children at the library.”

The council requested more time to study the impact of the bill before taking a stand.

The Fargo Commission passed a resolution two weeks ago in opposition to censorship of books and materials available to consumers of public libraries.