A West Virginia bill seeks to hold librarians criminally liable for allowing children access to obscene books.
House Bill 4654 was approved by the West Virginia House of Delegates last week by a vote of 85-12.
The bill will now move to the state Senate for consideration.
The bill's sponsor, Del. Brandon Steele delivered a fiery speech to members of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday in which he said libraries are a “haven for pedophilia” and that people should be held accountable for exposing children to adult content.
“I vote to protect children from grooming and targeting by pedophiles and eliminate the safe harbor created in our law 25 years ago,” Steele said.
“What this bill does is remove the exemption from an existing crime,” Steele said. “What no one wants to talk about here is that this is a crime everywhere except the public library, school or museum.”
Under current law, schools, public libraries, and museums are exempt from laws protecting minors from obscene material.
“What I hope the chilling effect of this legislation will be is to remove the sanctuary for child sexual abuse that exists in our law,” Steele said. “I'm voting to protect children from being groomed and targeted by pedophiles…and put everyone on the same playing field. If it's a crime in the parking lot, it's a crime in the building. Period.”
The Los Angeles Blade reported, “Under State Code 61-8A-2, any adult who knowingly or intentionally exposes obscene material to a minor can be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000 and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.” “. “.
The legislation will likely move through the Senate and be signed into law in the deep red state.
