Candidates for Latah County library board weigh in on 'harmful materials' bill

A bill that would have restricted access to “harmful materials” in libraries became one of the most controversial to come out of the Idaho Legislature this year.

HB 314, which was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Brad Little, drew strong opinions from Latah County Library District Board candidates running for election Tuesday.

Colton Bennett, Michelle Huso and Wayne Schmidt are competing for a seat with a six-year term. Incumbent Saba Baig is facing off against Juliana Bollinger for a four-year term.

HB 314 would have restricted children’s access to materials deemed harmful in libraries. It would have allowed parents to sue libraries and school districts if their child obtained these materials.

Several of the candidates shared their thoughts not just on HB 314, but the general topic of what roles libraries, governments and parents should play in deciding what books children read.

Baig opposed HB 314. She said it would have potentially banned material protected by the First Amendment and would have hurt libraries financially.

Baig stated that librarians already work hard to assure that obscene or hateful materials are kept out of libraries.

“They use their training and established policies to vet the material coming in and grow the collections,” she stated. “On the other hand, anyone with access to the Internet can easily access a vast amount of obscene, hateful, and harmful material.”

She suggested parents who are concerned about library materials should meet with their local libraries to learn more about how they select their content.

As for the potential lawsuits stemming from HB 314, she said they would likely “create a severe financial strain on our state's libraries” and potentially force some libraries to close their doors.

Huso said the wording in HB 314 is too broad and leaves questions about who gets to define “harmful.”

She said children who have experienced serious issues like assault, molestation and abuse could benefit from reading books about those topics. Huso said library books helped her deal with difficult experiences she had growing up.

“Materials that will genuinely, honestly help young people who have lived through those things could easily be considered ‘harmful’ to someone who hasn’t had to live through them,” she said.

She said it is the parents’ responsibility to teach their children discretion, not the court’s or the public institution’s.

Huso added that HB 314 puts taxpayer-funded institutions “at the mercy of any greedy person who thought it worth their while to claim their child was harmed.”

She said these legal actions could end up leaving communities without libraries.

Bennett’s opinion differs from the other candidates. He prefers local solutions over legislative intervention, and believes libraries should focus taxpayer money on “only the best books.”

“My position is one that every reasonable voter in Latah (County) can support—great pieces of literature, not controversial political promotions, ought to be the priority of our tax dollars,” Bennett said. “It appears I'm the only candidate for the six-year term who believes in responsible use of tax dollars.”

On his website, Bennett stated that he will fight to defend the rights of parents to determine what materials their children should have access to.

“There is a recent drift where incredibly sexualized material is being made widely available, even pushed, on young children in an attempt to redefine traditional and civilized understandings of sexual ethics,” he said.

Bennett claims the people supporting this material are forcing “graphic propaganda on children.” Bennett’s website also states he will work to promote “a multitude of views” in library materials while still upholding “community decency.”

Schmidt did not reply to a Daily News request for comment, but he shared his views on the Latah County Library District website. He did not cite HB 314 specifically, but he said there are efforts to “limit our 1st Amendment rights through restrictive programs that do not equally serve all citizens.”

He said parents have the primary responsibility to educate their children, and that some groups are attempting to shift that parental responsibility to libraries.

Juliana Bollinger did not respond to the Daily News and did not provide a statement to the Latah County Library District website.

More information about the candidates can be found at bit.ly/3pLLwtm. Latah County residents can vote from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at their usual polling locations.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.