Oregon lawmakers consider bill to prevent book bans

By Debra Gil

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    SALEM, Oregon (KPTV) — Oregon lawmakers received public input on a bill aimed at preventing the banning of books in schools based on discrimination.

Senator Lew Frederick said 93 reading materials were challenged between July of 2022 to July of 2023. Titles such as Beloved, The Handmaid’s Tale and Rolling Stone Magazine. He said the books and other materials are disproportionately targeted for being by or about the LGBTQ community or people of color.

The Senate Education Committee held a hearing on SB 1583 Tuesday afternoon with public comment. Supporters said in light of recent efforts, the bill is necessary, while critics argued the bill is not needed because the state already has anti-discrimination laws.

“To be clear, Senate Bill 1583 does not change any individual parents or guardians’ right to monitor or oversee what their children read or view,” Seth Johnstone, Transgender Justice program manager at Basic Rights Oregon said, “what it does do is protect the right of all parents and guardians for their children to have access to the diverse representation and materials, and the history taught in school setting.”

“We already have very clear direction on anti-discrimination on federal and state levels,” Andrea Miner, a school board member at Rosenburg Public Schools said, “so we feel in a way this is a slap in our face that we’re not doing our job and that you have to slide in an emergency bill.”

It was a hot-button issue, with hundreds of people submitting public testimony the day before the public hearing.

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