New Hampshire lawmakers to vote on whether to give parents access to their child's library history
Library records in New Hampshire are currently confidential under state law, but a bill being considered by the state Legislature could carve out an exception for parents.
House Bill 273, if passed, would mandate public libraries make kids' borrowing histories available to their parents upon request. That bill, which went through the committee of conference process last week, is scheduled for a vote of the full House and Senate Thursday. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mike Drago, a Raymond Republican. If both chambers approve it Thursday, the bill will head to Gov. Kelly Ayotte's desk, where she will have the option to sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature.
Drago, introducing the bill in April, said the 'elephant in the room' is 'the inappropriate material that makes its way into our libraries these days.'
'That debate isn't going to be solved today or tomorrow on what's appropriate for who,' he continued. 'But I think it's more important than ever to at least have parents have access to their child's library records, so they can help decide what's appropriate and what's not.'
The bill has already been approved by both the House and Senate, though each chamber voted for a different effective date. Last week, negotiators in a committee of conference hashed out their differences and decided the bill would be effective Jan. 1. They'll now take the newly amended bill to the full chamber.
The bill comes amid a number of so-called parental rights bills in the Legislature this year that seek to give parents even more access to information about their children. Earlier this month, Ayotte signed House Bill 10 into law. That bill guarantees New Hampshire parents the right to ask school personnel for any information about what their child is doing at school and get complete disclosure. This was criticized by LGBTQ+ advocates worried that it would force teachers to out young gay or trans kids. The bill also enshrines into state law parents' right to opt their child out of sex ed, exempt their child from vaccine requirements with a doctor's note or because of religious belief, and home school their child, among other things. Many of these actions were already allowed, but the new law reaffirms them. It also creates new requirements of school boards to create policies promoting parental involvement in a child's education.
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