Florida already has more school library book removals than any other state, according to recent reports.
And now, lawmakers are considering yet another bill critics say will dramatically boost bans.
"I thought we were done with the culture wars,” said Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando. “I thought we were done with all the excessive book banning. But here we are.”
That critique came during Tuesday’s Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting. Smith is the vice chair.
He didn’t convince his conservative colleagues.
In a party-line vote, Republicans approved a measure, SB 1692, that would prevent public school officials from considering a book’s “potential literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” when it’s challenged for being “harmful to minors.”
Some bill proponents accuse school districts of using that standard to keep age-inappropriate on the shelves.
“This legislation has been crafted with a clear and single goal to shield young children here in the state of Florida from sexually explicit content,” said Aaron DiPietro with the conservative advocacy group Florida Family Voice.
That prompted Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo, from Miami-Dade County, to ask if the Bible had sexually-explicit content.
Republicans like Sen. Clay Yarborough of Jacksonville said the bill has “child protection in mind.”
But Pizzo continued his argument later in the committee meeting. He accused book challenge laws, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, are making children in Florida "dumber." He pointed to the ongoing influx of bans over the past two years.
He also cited declining SAT scores.
“You're worried about the prurient interest that you can't even spell,” Pizzo said, referring to some of those pushing such measures.
The definition of “harmful to minors” includes a depiction of nudity or sexual conduct that is “patently offensive” and “predominantly appeals to prurient, shameful, or morbid interest.”
Democrats joined free expression advocates speaking against the legislation, saying it would lead to the removal of many books, including classics.
"Without the ability to discern literary value, we could see thousands of books getting removed at every level,” Stephana Ferrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project told WUSF before the meeting.
The bill still will needs to be reviewed by several committees before it goes to the full Senate for consideration. It has yet to be discussed by a House committee.
If you have any questions about the legislative session, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
