That inquiry included a list of more than 800 books. 'They shouldn't be finding it in their school library.'Ībbott, a Republican, previously joined a former GOP lawmaker's campaign to investigate the use of books in schools covering topics of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. that doesn't belong in front of the eyes of kids,' said the bill sponsor, Sen. 'What we're talking about is sexually explicit material. The bill requires the state's Library and Archives Commission to adopt standards that schools must follow when purchasing books, and a rating system that would be used to restrict or ban some material.

The bill passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature defines 'sexually explicit material' as anything that includes descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to required school curriculum, and prohibits it from school libraries. Critics say the standards set in the Texas bill are too vague, will snag books that are not inappropriate, and that materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans. The Texas move is the latest attempt to ban or regulate reading material in conservative states around the country. Texas would set new standards and ratings for sexually explicit material in order to ban books from public and charter school libraries, under a bill given final passage by the state Senate late Tuesday night and sent to Republican Gov.

Morgan rhodes books in order