Lawmakers are trying to make it harder to ban books in Colorado

Librarian restocks shelves at Boulder Public Library (Photo by Luke Ryan/KGNU)

Lawmakers are trying to make it harder to ban books in Colorado Luke Ryan

Over the past several years, there’s been an increase in nationwide initiatives to ban books from schools and libraries. Texas and Florida are in the lead for the most banned. These books often concern themes of gender, sexuality, and race.

Senate Bill 24-049, Content of Material in Libraries, seeks to establish a formalized statewide process for banning books. Supporters say this will protect understaffed and underfunded libraries from discriminatory book-banning campaigns.

KGNU’s Luke Ryan spoke with two supporters of the bill.

The first is State Representative and primary co-sponsor of SB24-049, Junie Joseph, who represents Boulder and other municipalities in District 10. The second is Elektra Greer, the director of the Nederland Community Library District, and co-chair of the Colorado Association of Libraries Legislative Committee.

The hearing for Senate Bill 24-049 is happening today on the floor, at 1:30 p.m.

Update: The hearing for Senate Bill 24-049, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21., has been postponed until 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26.