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Forwarding this ask from TASL's President on HB2666. *Ari Baker <http://www.linkedin.com/in/aribaker>* Executive Director *Tenn-Share, **A Tennessee Library Consortium* [log in to unmask] 615-669-8670 Pronouns: they, them, theirs P.O. Box 691 • Alcoa, TN 37701 http://Tenn-Share.org *Leading innovation, sparking creative ideas that transform Tennessee libraries.* What can Tenn-Share do for you? <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSftHUiR9kCTyW1kujK8J4vYuLPrVNRRT2TWSFSSYf6qdVFPDA/viewform> ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Katie Capshaw <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, Apr 26, 2022 at 8:40 PM Subject: [TASL Listserv] HB2666 Update To: <[log in to unmask]> Good evening members! Here is a recap of what happened today with HB2666: It was passed as it was amended (what I shared last night) in the House Finance, Ways and Means Subcommittee this morning. Sometime between then and the 2:30 pm House Finance, Ways, and Means Full Committee an "untimely" amendment was filed and added by the committee. I have attached the amendment. According to Representative Jerry Sexton who presented the bill to the committee, the amendment states that instead of the Textbook Commission and the State Library Coordinator creating a list, every school librarian with their LEA will have to submit their library catalog or in his words, "list of books" to the Textbook Commission for approval. Any books they do not approve must be removed from the library. The amendment basically says that but in Section 8 it still states: SECTION 8. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 49-6-2201(a), is amended by adding the following as a new subdivision: (4) The Tennessee state library coordinator shall serve as an ex officio non- voting member of the commission. The state library coordinator shall recommend a list of materials, as defined in § 49-6-3802, to the commission for approval. The list recommended by the state library coordinator must contain, from the list of materials in the library collection of each school operated by an LEA and of each public charter school submitted to the commission pursuant to Section 9, materials that are appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials, and that the materials are suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school. The final list of materials approved for inclusion in the school's library collection, as defined in § 49-6-3802, must be approved by the commission before students may access the materials as part of the school's library collection. The bill also adds 3 people to the Textbook Commission (which is why it was in the finance committee to approve the mileage reimbursement for the commission members who are not paid). Two would be voting members and would be school librarians or retired school librarians. The 3rd member added would be the State Library Coordinator as a non-voting member. The bill then passed with one no vote from Representative Sam Whitson with the new amendment. It was sent from finance to the calendar committee. From there it was passed to the House Floor for a vote of all the Representatives tomorrow morning at 9 am. This bill has already passed the Senate but with different amendments. That amendment only adds the 3 new committee members as stated above and says they will advise LEAs about age appropriate materials. I am attaching that amendment in this email. Here is what we understand will happen next. The bill will go to the House floor to be voted on by all the members. If it passes the House, then the House and the Senate must work out what the bill will actually be since they are not amended the same. They must do this by Thursday, the last day of the legislative session. We cannot count on them running out of time. My sources tell me that they will come up with a plan before they go home on Friday. Here is what we need you to do tonight: 1. Contact your State Representative and ask them to vote no to HB2666. I am including TASL's official statement on the bill if you would like to use that or personalize it for your own library situation. Email, phone calls, text if you have their numbers. 2. Contact your State Senator and ask that they not conform to the House version of HB2666/SB2247 using the same points. Email, phone calls, text if you have their numbers. 3. If you are comfortable, take to social media or contact other stakeholders who will also contact their legislators. Feel free to reach out to me, members of our advocacy committee, intellectual freedom committee, or legislative task force if you have any questions. We would also love to hear any responses that you get from your legislators. Remember this is HUGE government overreach. Use the fact that the governor has already passed a bill that deals with school library materials and that the governor's office is not in favor of this bill as it negates his bill, if you think that would resonate with your legislator. Thank you so much! You are amazing people doing amazing things for the students of Tennessee. We made a difference today! Keep up the great work. Keeping you informed, Katie Capshaw 2022 TASL President TASL Statement on HB2666: TASL rejects HB 2666, Amendment 2, which states," Requires the Commission to issue a list of approved educational materials and books that may be made available to students in a library operated by a local education agency." The creation of a list of approved library books is gross government overreach. A one-size-fits-all "approved collection" for school libraries in Tennessee ignores the fact that a local school library houses a collection tailored to the students it serves. The state risks losing large sums of money (millions) invested in library materials if items *not* *included* on the list have to be removed from collections. The newly appointed state library coordinator should be focused on implementing statewide initiatives, providing professional development, collecting data, and improving library services across the state. In order to develop and maintain a *statewide *proposed library materials list, the vast majority of their time will be diverted to that task. As to the textbook commission, a body of twelve voting members cannot possibly assess the individual needs and interests of students in every school, as well as each school’s educational mission. With over 6,000 books published every year and with thousands of items already in our school library collections, how is the commission going to have time to review all of the books on the state coordinator’s list, which will be in the hundreds of thousands? What is the fiscal impact of this? This commission will likely find itself in the costly position of being sued for inclusion of OR failure to include certain materials. The Age Appropriate Materials Act signed by Governor Lee addresses the legislature's concerns in that a selection policy and reconsideration policy is in place in every district and school library catalogs are published online. A school library is a place of voluntary inquiry, and taking away local control of book selection is not what's best for all students in Tennessee. * The official E-List of the Tennessee Association of School Librarians.* To unsubscribe from the TASL E-List, log into your profile at www.tasltn.org <http://clicks.memberclicks-mail.net/ls/click?upn=sEq-2FkIFfMsAFpp-2FnPX0dAtmPGE8-2Bug1iQTmp3Ogl-2BxE-3DfObK_U5HstP-2Bd5sNSSaSXKyJKzXLKbfBqfb3wyY5S0mAyuB3ea0fvLbIR-2FvEuXxnTot0kxnXNbNkAJggvyi00G3cFm4NBiSX4EH-2BMNeLfksJVQVi-2Fe9cG76ukIyAR0sfIQfBwmAFrsvDtBM64HN7wIhA-2F-2F2VFm3lflL9itro9T3a5ML7XLDxPw7Dcc6uslh7wPnD01Nb5Sg3sOlOf2wXalG-2BgdRmbtlvIa9r6D-2FvuWlnMKjmC9Q6fNFqBWnBKMytlTMVgVrw-2FoRLd8bA-2BbzXXtjOJHMaPGSy4P5-2B3iL26H3voDgnQ-2FBB3wvcN3UvJPaSQ06q41N9WNgqpuDvaCYNwV-2BYNnQ-3D-3D>,click on *E-Lists*, click the Unsubscribe link. ------------------------------ Tennessee Association of School Librarians • PO Box 2013, Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37072, United States Remove My Email <[log in to unmask]> • Privacy Policy <http://clicks.memberclicks-mail.net/ls/click?upn=sEq-2FkIFfMsAFpp-2FnPX0dAjQh1sNGpFrb0lT8NI28UYd9D8yeU2vNIfpATz35GfBl8qqLXrckXlRhMzwFkmZNGw-3D-3DpNdf_U5HstP-2Bd5sNSSaSXKyJKzXLKbfBqfb3wyY5S0mAyuB3ea0fvLbIR-2FvEuXxnTot0kxnXNbNkAJggvyi00G3cFm4NBiSX4EH-2BMNeLfksJVQVi-2Fe9cG76ukIyAR0sfIQfBwmAFrsvDtBM64HN7wIhA-2F-2F2VFm3lflL9itro9T3a5ML7XLDxPw7Dcc6uslh7wPnD0NOp9stECkIa7PvUxBnPy6NKSv0zMxgWTgNnTepEqRLXeukJ0lw97oqkSxsO2dcGji1NlDgFYXR5kfnJbGUnOfd1qeL91r0aBlpzlWnB05mhwThH2QeLznZcYjnY2gdlQ8TVnb4IakbDUHpcD-2BpltJw-3D-3D>