The Texas House gave its preliminary approval to a bill that seeks to give parents and school boards across the state more control over what books can be in school libraries.
The legislation, known as Senate Bill 13, was designed to give school boards the authority to provide final approval for materials that should be allowed in their schools' libraries. This would be done by creating a framework where they can remove books based on complaints they receive.
Texas Hosue Passes Book Ban Bill
The bill would also give school boards the power to oversee the approvals and removals of books in their schools' libraries. They can also delegate the responsibility to local school advisory councils but only if 20% of parents in a district sign a petition to allow the creation of the latter.
SB 13 previously included a mandate regarding the creation of those councils when it first passed through the Senate in March 2025. However, lawmakers added the petition requirement to the creation of the councils in a House committee, according to the Texas Tribune.
The bill initially passed the House in an 87-57 vote and it includes definitions for what would constitute harmful material and indecent content in books. This led Democratic representatives to express their concerns about potential overreaching bans.
When officials were discussing the bill on the House floor on Monday, Rep. James Talarico referenced the bill's language that requires approved books to adhere to "local community values." He said this could lead small, vocal groups of people to limit students' access to books.
He added that titles that are typically taught in public schools, such as "Catcher in the Rye," "Lonesome Dove," and the "Bible" could be banned. The bill was carried by Rep. Brad Buckley through the Texas House, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Choosing What Children Can Read
The lawmaker noted that parents are part of the community, adding that the bill is a means for them to engage parents and have them involved in community standards. Books in school libraries would be evaluated based on whether or not they meet certain "community standards" for profanity and indecency in a particular district.
Buckley added that the bill would give parents more transparency over the materials that their kids are reading as well as remove books that contain "profane," "indecent," or "sexually explicit" content.
One parent who sat among the crowd listening to the discussions was Cory Putmanoaks, who said reading a book such as "1984" should not be a choice that is chartered by a government body. She argued that it is the duty of librarians who catalog the selection to filter the books for children, as per KVUE.
