logo
Censorship concerns rise over Texas bill; Abilene bookstore pushes back

Censorship concerns rise over Texas bill; Abilene bookstore pushes back

Yahoo23-04-2025

ABILENE, Texas () – A bill set to be heard by the Judiciary and Jurisprudence Committee at the Texas House is sparking criticism from small business owners across the state. Arlene Kasselman, who owns Seven and One Books in downtown Abilene, is raising awareness on social media about House Bill 1375.
'As independent bookstore owners, the American Booksellers Association and then our regional association keep us up to date on things that are going to affect small businesses, bookstores, and libraries. So, they're very communicative. That's where I first started hearing some of the chatter,' Kasselman recalled.
Kasselman began researching the bill and discovered it could have serious implications for small businesses, potentially leading to censorship and limits on educational materials. HB1375 allows individuals to sue if they're harmed by obscene or harmful content, particularly when it's accessible to minors. Under the bill, businesses that help distribute such content can be held liable, and the law lowers the bar for plaintiffs to win those lawsuits.
'With this bill, people can self-define what is harmless because the bill is saying that legal action can be taken against a bookstore that would sell harmful material to a minor. It's already illegal to put things in the hands of a minor that would be harmful to them,' Kasselman explained. 'But this is saying that the bookstore can be sued, and there can be a civil suit based on the minor having harmful material in their hands. But the definition of harmful is the problem. The biggest concern that we have is that for small businesses, first of all, we can't afford the lawsuits.'
Censorship efforts at libraries continued to soar in 2023, according to a new report
With the definition of what is harmful being so broad, Texas Freedom to Read Co-Founder Anne Russey said that she has heard opinions on why certain books should be banned in public schools and libraries. This bill is different as it targets privately owned businesses.
'For example, to walk into a bookstore and if the child picks up a book that the parent decides they have a problem with, they could kind of raise a frivolous claim, like, oh, that book is harmful to minors under this law,' Russey shared.
Russey believes the language in this bill will ultimately harm small businesses and consumers.
'When it comes to private retailers and purchasing, it's really scary to think that the state and the government might be trying to infringe on our liberties to purchase the books that we want to purchase for our families or booksellers freedom to run their business in ways that allow them to generate revenue and income that they put back into their communities through taxes and just all the different ways that bookstores enrich our communities and really serve us as Texans,' shared Russey.
Taylor County Republican Chairman Ryan Goodwin has previously voiced support for removing books deemed inappropriate for minors. He noted that conversations about book restrictions have been ongoing for years, but he's skeptical that this particular bill will gain traction. With only one author and no co-sponsors so far, Goodwin doubts it will even reach the House floor. If similar legislation moves forward in the future, he hopes it will include clear and specific language defining what constitutes material harmful to minors.
'In my opinion, I don't see a co-sponsor on this bill, and it seems to still be in committee. So, it hasn't touched the House floor yet. I don't see it making it to the House floor, but we could be surprised, and it could still be vague in some areas. But at this point, it just hasn't had enough momentum yet to make it to the House floor,' said Goodwin.
This is the most banned book in Texas
Kasselman noted that during her upbringing in South Africa, she witnessed the effects of censorship on her home country. She has a dedicated section for banned books in her store.
'I think the reason it's so significant is that it is really a censorship issue. I grew up in South Africa in a time when all of that information was censored; that was not a healthy situation. In fact, I had a German customer in here who's a resident now in America and lives here in Abilene. He said, 'thank you for having the banned books section, because I know firsthand the cost of banning books and I think if we forget our history and we forget that it really doesn't even take burning books to change a culture, it just takes stopping good people from reading them,'' explained Kasselman.
She added that while this bill is still in the early stages, it is something that many bookstores across Texas will watch closely.
'We're given the option of either not allowing minors in the bookstore or having to card people potentially before they can purchase things. Now, am I trying to put pornographic material or overly violent material in the hands of a minor? Absolutely not. But when you have things that are on the book banning list that are like The Diary of Anne Frank or Octavia Butler's writings or 1984 Animal Farm, those are the kind of books that are going to be targeted,' shared Kasselman.
The Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee will hear testimony from both supporters and opponents of the bill on Wednesday morning.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

GOP leaders cite L.A. immigration protests to push for quick passage of Trump's "big, beautiful bill"
GOP leaders cite L.A. immigration protests to push for quick passage of Trump's "big, beautiful bill"

CBS News

time6 minutes ago

  • CBS News

GOP leaders cite L.A. immigration protests to push for quick passage of Trump's "big, beautiful bill"

Washington — The White House and Republican leaders in Congress are urging lawmakers to quickly get behind the centerpiece of President Trump's legislative agenda, saying the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles adds urgency to the push to secure additional resources for border security. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on X on Monday that the legislation, which addresses Mr. Trump's tax, energy and immigration priorities, "provides the ESSENTIAL funding needed to secure our nation[']s borders." Republicans call the legislation the "one big, beautiful bill." "The lawlessness happening in LA is ANOTHER reason why we need to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill IMMEDIATELY," Johnson said, pledging that Congress will support Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who he said are "fighting to keep Americans safe against illegal aliens AND the radical left." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a similar message earlier Monday, saying the scenes unfolding in some areas of Los Angeles "prove that we desperately need more immigration enforcement personnel and resources." "America must reverse the invasion unleashed by Joe Biden of millions of unvetted illegal aliens into our country," Leavitt said in a post on X. "That's why President Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill funds at least one million annual removals and hires 10,000 new ICE personnel, 5,000 new customs officers, and 3,000 new Border Patrol agents." Speaker of the House Mike Johnson holds a press conference after the House narrowly passed a bill forwarding President Trump's agenda at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025, in Washington, legislation is now in the hands of the Senate after the House narrowly approved it last month following weeks of intraparty disagreement over its components. Though the bulk of the funding allocated in the legislation goes toward tax cuts, it also includes resources aimed at bolstering border security and defense. It provides $46.5 billion for the border wall, $4.1 billion to hire Border Patrol agents and other personnel and more than $2 billion for signing and retention bonuses for agents. It also imposes an additional $1,000 fee for people who are filing for asylum in the U.S. The disagreement among Republicans over the bill has largely centered on cuts meant to offset the bill's spending, including restrictions to Medicaid. In the House's razor-thin GOP majority, the disagreements threatened to tank the bill's progress at every stage. And as the bill moved to the Senate for consideration last week, Johnson warned the upper chamber against making significant changes that would throw off the delicate balance. Senate Republicans initially voiced support for separating the complicated tax components and border security provisions into two separate bills to deliver Mr. Trump a victory on immigration early on in his tenure. But House Republicans opposed the approach, expressing doubts that the president's agenda could pass through the narrow GOP majority in the lower chamber in separate parts. Senate Republicans are now seeking to amend the House-passed bill, sending it back to the House for approval with a goal of getting the legislation to the president's desk by the July 4 holiday. And with a 53-seat majority, the upper chamber can afford to lose just three Republicans. Last week, opposition from Elon Musk threatened to throw a wrench into the legislation's progress, after he stoked concerns by fiscal hawks about the bill's impact on the deficit. The episode, which began with Musk calling the bill "a disgusting abomination," erupted into a dramatic and public feud between Musk and the president last week. But the dispute did not appear to spark significant new opposition the the bill in Congress. The urgency expressed Monday surrounding securing additional border resources comes as Mr. Trump called for the National Guard to enforce order in the L.A. area amid protests over activity by ICE, prompting a clash with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom warned that the move would inflame the situation, while urging that there is no shortage of law enforcement. The governor indicated late Sunday that his office plans to sue the Trump administration over Mr. Trump's move. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the president's move on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" Sunday, claiming Newsom "has proven that he makes bad decisions." "The president knows that [Newsom] makes bad decisions, and that's why the president chose the safety of this community over waiting for Gov. Newsom to get some sanity," Noem added.

Iowa Landowners Fight Seizure of Private Property for a Pipeline
Iowa Landowners Fight Seizure of Private Property for a Pipeline

Yahoo

time10 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Iowa Landowners Fight Seizure of Private Property for a Pipeline

A privately owned company is proposing a pipeline across five states. While some of the state governments appear to be on board, the project is facing backlash from a large and formidable population: property owners. The pipeline, known as Summit Carbon Solutions, would span 2,500 miles and transport carbon dioxide (CO2) captured at 57 ethanol plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas to a permanent underground storage site in North Dakota. Construction of the $9 billion pipeline is expected to begin this year, with operations kicking off in 2026. In June 2024, the project received regulatory approval from the Iowa Utilities Commission, despite landowner protests. Julie Glade and her husband, Paul, are Iowans who oppose the project because of its use of eminent domain. Their property aligns with the proposed route, and in 2022 the couple was visited by a land agent. "The guy who came to our door wanted us to sit down and sign it without reading it," Glade tells Reason. "They swooped in and tried to contact as many people as possible right away before the people knew what the consequences were. It's very unethical." Several other landowners in the state share the Glades' worries. During a hearing conducted by the Iowa Utility Commission, landowner Joan Gaul testified against the pipeline, which she said would cross a large portion of her farmland. Gaul said Summit Carbon Solutions mailed two easements, which would give the pipeline a legal right to her land, to her without notice. "This letter came telling us about taking our land using eminent domain. It was a difficult pill to swallow," she said. Gaul said she didn't accept the easements and has indicated that she will continue to fight the project. The Glades visit the Iowa Capitol nearly every week to voice their opposition to the pipeline. They are joined by what the couple calls a diverse coalition united by their concern for the basic constitutional right to land ownership. "We have MAGA Republicans and we have lefties. We put our differences aside and we work together," she says. The Glades' efforts could soon pay off. In May the state Senate passed House File 639, which would prevent CO2 pipelines from using eminent domain unless the company proves the pipeline meets the definition of public use. The bill would also prevent CO2 pipelines from operating longer than 25 years. The bill is awaiting the signature of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is reportedly weighing opinions from pipeline supporters and detractors. If passed, the bill would represent a significant win for the rights of Iowa property owners. It would also be the latest setback for the Summit Carbon Solutions project. After the company launched a blitz of eminent domain lawsuits in South Dakota, Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law in March preventing carbon dioxide pipelines from receiving eminent domain permission in the state. The post Iowa Landowners Fight Seizure of Private Property for a Pipeline appeared first on

MN House, Senate convene for special session to pass state budget
MN House, Senate convene for special session to pass state budget

Yahoo

time10 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

MN House, Senate convene for special session to pass state budget

Minnesota lawmakers returned to the Capitol Monday morning to complete the state's next two-year budget as agencies prepared to warn thousands of government employees of a potential government shutdown next month. Most of the state government only has funding through the end of June after the Legislature failed to pass the majority of the bills that form the roughly $66 billion state budget by the end of the regular legislative session on May 19. Gov. Tim Walz called a special session so lawmakers can finish their work. State leaders finalized the details in a series of mostly closed meetings over the last few weeks. The Senate and House went into session at 10 a.m. and are expected to finish their work by Tuesday morning. However, there's no guarantee that will happen. Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican legislative leaders and the governor may have signed an agreement to finish up the special session by 7 a.m. Tuesday, but nothing can stop other state senators and representatives from introducing amendments and engaging in lengthy debate on controversial bills. Some bills that are part of the budget deal between Walz, the tied House and DFL majority Senate may pass on thin margins. A proposal to end state-funded health insurance for adults in the U.S. without legal immigration status is opposed by many DFLers and may only pass with the support of Republicans and the DFL leaders who signed the agreement. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, and House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, have said they agreed to remove coverage for adults to avert a government shutdown, which would interrupt services on a much larger scale. The immigrant care proposal was the first bill the House took up Monday morning, and representatives continued to debate the matter as noon approached. If the measure passes both chambers, Walz would have a tough time vetoing it. Republicans managed to get DFLers to agree to tie the activation of health care spending to ending MinnesotaCare for around 17,000 adults in the state who came to the U.S. illegally. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers have expressed reservations about the tax and transportation bills. The tax bill includes an increase to the sales tax on cannabis, and Republican leadership had initially said it wouldn't support any new taxes, and some members may stick to that pledge. There were also questions on Friday about whether a proposal to shift $93 million in sales tax revenue from metro counties to the Metropolitan Council would survive floor votes, as members of both parties might turn on shifting money from local governments to a central planning agency. This is a developing story that will update throughout the day. Letters: It's unfortunate that we can't have certain conversations Gov. Tim Walz calls for special session for Legislature Monday Timeline for Minnesota special session blurry as budget talks continue MN government return to office order kicks in as shutdown layoffs loom Ramsey County: Economic Development Authority to allow flexibility on housing projects

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store