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Assembly Bill A7843

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Ensures that staff in libraries are able to curate collections, services, and programming that reflect diverse interests

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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Bill Amendments

2023-A7843 - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Libraries And Education Technology
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §254, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A3119

2023-A7843 - Summary

Ensures that staff in libraries are able to curate collections, services, and programming that reflect the interests of all people of the community that the library serves.

2023-A7843 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7843
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 7, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Libraries and Education Technology
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education  law,  in  relation to requiring that
   libraries have policies prohibiting the banning of books in  order  to
   receive state aid

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 273 of the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 12 to read as follows:
   12. NO LIBRARY OR LIBRARY SYSTEM  SHALL  BE  ELIGIBLE  FOR  STATE  AID
 UNLESS  SUCH  LIBRARY  OR  LIBRARY  SYSTEM HAS INCLUDED AS PART OF THEIR
 OPERATING PLAN OR HAS ESTABLISHED POLICIES INCORPORATING  THE  PROVISION
 OF  THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION'S LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS THAT INDI-
 CATES THAT MATERIALS SHOULD NOT BE  PROSCRIBED  OR  REMOVED  BECAUSE  OF
 PARTISAN  OR  DOCTRINAL DISAPPROVAL OR HAS DEVELOPED A WRITTEN STATEMENT
 PROHIBITING THE PRACTICE OF BANNING BOOKS OR OTHER MATERIALS WITHIN  THE
 LIBRARY OR LIBRARY SYSTEM AND PROHIBITS THE PRACTICE OF BANNING SPECIFIC
 BOOKS OR RESOURCES.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11295-01-3

co-Sponsors

2023-A7843A - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Libraries And Education Technology
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §254, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A3119

2023-A7843A - Summary

Ensures that staff in libraries are able to curate collections, services, and programming that reflect the interests of all people of the community that the library serves.

2023-A7843A - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7843--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 7, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on  Libraries  and  Education Technology -- committee discharged, bill
   amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
   tee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education law, in relation to requiring certain
   libraries to adopt policies preventing the banning of certain  library
   materials, services, or programming
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 254 of the education law, as amended by chapter 718
 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
   § 254. Standards of library service. 1. The regents shall  have  power
 to  fix  standards of library service for every free association, public
 and hospital library or, with  the  advice  of  the  appropriate  tribal
 government  and library board of trustees, Indian library which receives
 any portion of  the  moneys  appropriated  by  the  state  to  aid  such
 libraries,  or  which  is supported in whole or in part by tax levied by
 any municipality or district. In the case of a  hospital  library  or  a
 library  serving  a  hospital,  such  standards  shall be established in
 consultation with the commissioner of health. If any such library  shall
 fail  to  comply  with  the regents requirements, such library shall not
 receive any portion of the moneys appropriated by the  state  for  free,
 hospital  or Indian libraries nor shall any tax be levied by any munici-
 pality or district for the support in whole or in part of such library.
   2. SUCH STANDARDS SHALL REQUIRE EVERY FREE  ASSOCIATION,  PUBLIC,  AND
 HOSPITAL  LIBRARY  OR, WITH THE ADVICE OF THE APPROPRIATE TRIBAL GOVERN-
 MENT AND LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, INDIAN LIBRARY, WHICH  RECEIVES  ANY
 PORTION  OF  THE MONEYS APPROPRIATED BY THE STATE TO AID SUCH LIBRARIES,
 TO  ADOPT  POLICIES  AND  PROCEDURES  THAT  ENSURE  LIBRARY   MATERIALS,
 SERVICES,  AND PROGRAMMING SHALL NOT BE PROSCRIBED OR REMOVED BECAUSE OF
 PARTISAN OR DOCTRINAL DISAPPROVAL.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

co-Sponsors

2023-A7843B (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Libraries And Education Technology
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §254, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
A3119

2023-A7843B (ACTIVE) - Summary

Ensures that staff in libraries are able to curate collections, services, and programming that reflect the interests of all people of the community that the library serves.

2023-A7843B (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7843--B
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               July 7, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. KELLES, SEAWRIGHT, EACHUS, SIMON -- read once and
   referred  to  the  Committee  on Libraries and Education Technology --
   committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
   recommitted  to  said  committee  --  recommitted  to the Committee on
   Libraries and Education Technology in accordance with Assembly Rule 3,
   sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as
   amended and recommitted to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  education law, in relation to requiring certain
   libraries to adopt policies ensuring that library staff  are  able  to
   curate  collections,  services,  and  programming that reflect diverse
   interests
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 254 of the education law, as amended by chapter 718
 of the laws of 1981, is amended to read as follows:
   § 254. Standards  of  library service. 1. The regents shall have power
 to fix standards of library service for every free  association,  public
 and  hospital  library  or,  with  the  advice of the appropriate tribal
 government and library board of trustees, Indian library which  receives
 any  portion  of  the  moneys  appropriated  by  the  state  to aid such
 libraries, or which is supported in whole or in part by  tax  levied  by
 any  municipality  or  district.  In the case of a hospital library or a
 library serving a hospital,  such  standards  shall  be  established  in
 consultation  with the commissioner of health. If any such library shall
 fail to comply with the regents requirements,  such  library  shall  not
 receive  any  portion  of the moneys appropriated by the state for free,
 hospital or Indian libraries nor shall any tax be levied by any  munici-
 pality or district for the support in whole or in part of such library.
   2.  SUCH  STANDARDS  SHALL REQUIRE EVERY FREE ASSOCIATION, PUBLIC, AND
 HOSPITAL LIBRARY OR, WITH THE ADVICE OF THE APPROPRIATE  TRIBAL  GOVERN-
 MENT  AND  LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES, INDIAN LIBRARY, WHICH RECEIVES ANY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11295-03-4

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