Do you support this bill?

Assembly Bill A6873B

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Enacts the freedom to read act

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

Bill Amendments

2023-A6873 - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S6350
Current Committee:
Assembly Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§276 & 283, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A7777, S1099

2023-A6873 - Summary

Enacts the "freedom to read act"; requires the commissioner of education and school library systems to develop policies to ensure that school libraries and library staff are empowered to curate and develop collections that provide students with access to the widest array of developmentally appropriate materials available.

2023-A6873 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6873
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 8, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  O'DONNELL  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the  "freedom
   to read act"
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "freedom to
 read act".
   § 2. Subdivision 5 of section 13 of the education  law  is  designated
 the  closing  paragraph,  and  a  new  subdivision 5 is added to read as
 follows:
   5. POLICIES TO ENSURE THAT SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANS ARE ABLE TO
 PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO  THE  WIDEST  ARRAY  OF  AGE-APPROPRIATE
 MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07840-04-3

2023-A6873A - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S6350
Current Committee:
Assembly Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§276 & 283, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A7777, S1099

2023-A6873A - Summary

Enacts the "freedom to read act"; requires the commissioner of education and school library systems to develop policies to ensure that school libraries and library staff are empowered to curate and develop collections that provide students with access to the widest array of developmentally appropriate materials available.

2023-A6873A - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6873--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 8, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  O'DONNELL  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended,  ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "freedom
   to read act"

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "freedom to
 read act".
   §  2. Subdivision 5 of section 13 of the education law is redesignated
 the closing paragraph, and a new subdivision  5  is  added  to  read  as
 follows:
   5. POLICIES TO ENSURE THAT SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY STAFF, INCLUD-
 ING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  CERTIFIED  LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALISTS,  ARE
 EMPOWERED TO CURATE AND DEVELOP COLLECTIONS THAT PROVIDE  STUDENTS  WITH
 ACCESS  TO  THE  WIDEST  ARRAY  OF DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE MATERIALS
 AVAILABLE TO SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07840-06-3

co-Sponsors

2023-A6873B (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S6350
Current Committee:
Assembly Education
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §§276 & 283, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A7777, S1099

2023-A6873B (ACTIVE) - Summary

Enacts the "freedom to read act"; requires the commissioner of education and school library systems to develop policies to ensure that school libraries and library staff are empowered to curate and develop collections that provide students with access to the widest array of developmentally appropriate materials available.

2023-A6873B (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6873--B
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 8, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  O'DONNELL  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended,  ordered
   reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted  to  said  committee -- again
   reported from said committee with  amendments,  ordered  reprinted  as
   amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "freedom
   to read act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "freedom to
 read act".
   § 2. Section 276 of education law is amended to read as follows:
   § 276. Existing  rules continued in force.  All existing provisions of
 law and rules established by  the  commissioner  of  education  for  the
 management  of public school libraries shall hold good as to the manage-
 ment of such school libraries until altered by or in pursuance  of  law.
 SUCH  LAWS AND RULES ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSIONER SHALL INCLUDE POLI-
 CIES TO ENSURE THAT SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND LIBRARY  STAFF,  INCLUDING  BUT
 NOT  LIMITED  TO  CERTIFIED  LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, ARE EMPOWERED TO
 CURATE AND DEVELOP COLLECTIONS THAT PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO  THE
 WIDEST  ARRAY  OF  DEVELOPMENTALLY  APPROPRIATE  MATERIALS  AVAILABLE TO
 SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
   § 3. Section 283 of the education law, as added by chapter 348 of  the
 laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
   § 283. Functions  of  school library systems.  The functions of school
 library systems shall include but not be limited to:  (a)  creating  and
 developing  a  union  catalog of materials listing the resources of each
 participating school library; (b) developing a plan which will aid  each
 participating  school library in cooperative collection development; (c)
 adopting and implementing an interlibrary loan policy and program  among
 participating  school  libraries;  (d)  assuring  a  method of effective
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07840-08-3

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.